The Awareness Factor
Personal Life Space and Divine Awareness
Let me start by defining “life space”. If you could look at this term just from a natural viewpoint it would be the actual space your physical body takes up, plus about 18 -24 inches in circumference around you. It’s the actual environment or space surrounding your person. Maybe you have heard someone say “you’re in my space”. They are stating you are too close to them personally and they see it as their space. This, of course, is in the natural, physical realm. This personal space is the area you conduct your life from both naturally and spiritually.
I think everyone was aware of their personal space naturally, especially during the pandemic months of 2020. You definitively were aware when someone got too close to you physically.
Inside this space includes your decisions on what you will or will not do, what you will accept or what you will not accept which produces life for yourself or life as you know it. It is your personal hub where you conduct life.
Perhaps you have heard someone say, “they got in my face”? It usually means someone got into your personal space but in a negative way. They were displeased with something you did or said and they made sure you were aware of their displeasure. Anger or animosity was displayed in some form toward you. While this may not have been within the 18-24 inches surrounding your physical body you still felt attacked because they disrupted your personal space. They made sure to draw all your attention to what they were saying to you. It most likely set off emotions, maybe even angered you. Your reaction, good or bad, was where life was happening in that moment within your personal space.
So this space includes your will, emotions, and thoughts. This space makes up who you are and what you like and dislike. This is the space around you that you feel is yours personally and you have the right to control it any way you feel is appropriate. It is the space you control just like you would control real property. You bring this space with you wherever you go.
However this space is also spiritual as well, we will discuss this shortly. This space is like having your own office space where you show up to conduct the business of your personal life. It is the essence of who you are physically and spiritually which you control wherever you are. It is where you are operating and controlling your life. It is the actual space where you produce life for yourself according to your physical, mental and spiritual capabilities. You know it’s your space because you also know when something happens to you, makes you uncomfortable or when someone gets in this space. Why? Because it comes into your personal space and touches your likes or dislikes and interrupts your life flow positively or negatively.
This space is where you pilot your life. You make decisions physically, mentally, and spiritually as to how you want this space to be run. The reason I’m calling it your “life space” and not just your “life” is because you will tend to see it differently if you see it as the space you own and control which you bring with you wherever you are or wherever you go.
To allow someone into this space depends on whether you trust them or not. If you have accepted someone into this space with either their presence physically or through their thoughts and opinions, it is based strictly on how they are trusted. Otherwise you will make sure they keep their proper distance regarding your space.
Merging Of Personal Life Space
As Christians who accepted Jesus, we ask Him to come into our personal space. We, in a sense, grant permission for Him to enter our space.
It’s Jesus coming into your personal space bringing His personal space, therefore making a space where life with both of you are being produced. Jesus brought His personal space and accepts and trusts you to be in His personal space. He shares His life space with you, it’s where the two personal spaces, His and yours come together. He comes into your personal office where you are conducting the business of life and sets up a desk where He is doing the exact same thing. So it is not just your personal space anymore, but it is space shared with Jesus, where all of life, yours and His, happens.
Catch this truth, Jesus brought all of His life into this space. It is now where all of the business of His life happens. It is all of the life of Jesus operating in His fullest capacity in and through your personal space. He did not hold anything of Himself from you, but brought all of it into your personal life space. Let’s look at an example.
….As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Luke 8:42-48 NIV
This woman pressed into Jesus’ personal space in a way where she was close enough to draw from what was in His space for herself. She merged into Jesus’ personal space with her personal space. The two merged for a brief moment and she was able to draw from the life in His space. Her healing was there in His personal space. She knew if she could get into His personal space she could get the healing she needed.
Here is a truth we must grasp, wherever He went He brought it with Him. Just like you, Jesus has a personal life space and wherever He goes He brings this space with Him.
So if you have allowed Jesus to come into your personal space He brought all of what’s in His space with Him. He even states it in scripture this way.
Faith In The Home
Jesus answered, “If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. John 14:23 AMP
Jesus says He and His Father will come live with you in your home. If He is actually living there then all of His presence would have to be there as well. All of who He is, in every way would be present. All of His life and everything that makes up His personal space. The greater you are aware of this the greater you are aware of Him.
When Jesus moved in and brought all of His life with Him the controlling factor is you. How much of the life of Christ will you let happen? How much do You trust and accept Him with your personal space? You and your faith now control your life together with Him.
If you only allow Him access to a back bedroom in the house and just interact with Him when it’s convenient, then this is how much you trust and this is how much of His life you will have.
Many Christians have accepted Jesus into their life but do not give Him full access to their personal space. Yet, Jesus allows them to have full access to His personal space. All of His life’s presence is still there with all of the life He brought with Him when He moved in. He didn’t hold back or keep any of His life from you but gladly brought it with Him for you both to enjoy. Again, it comes down to what you believe and are practicing with your faith.
Does He have full access to the whole house? Are you living life 24/7 with Him? Are the two of you enjoying life to the fullest? This is what Jesus wants and this is what He brings with Him.
It is the two of you sharing each other’s life space. Jesus in yours and you in His. Drawing from each other living together as one. Here is How Paul stated it.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NIV
Living the Life
If you are a born again Christian, with His Spirit living in you then Jesus is right there in your personal space living His life with your life. This is how it moves from just living life to living a life with God. The life He wants us to live.
We move from a form of Christainity to a relationship with Jesus because we are sharing life together. He moves into your personal space and He brings His personal life space and the fullness of this life into yours. We just need to keep our heart and mind centered on this truth. Jesus is right there with us wherever we are and He is always trying to produce His life in our personal space.
He wants His life to be the dominant life if you allow Him. The more He dominates the more life together you enjoy. This regulates how much, as a Christian, your life changes. Jesus, if we let Him, brings His overcoming, abundant life with Him and now lets you live and enjoy His life through your own personal space, if you want. He is producing through you His life and everything that goes with it.
All of God
Have you ever heard Christians say they want more of God? You may hear them say they “want Him to show up”.
You may after a meeting hear someone say “the Lord showed up” talking about how His presence was there in a very real way through the worship part of the meeting or some other segment of the gathering. Sometimes you hear these phrases used when something dynamic happened and the individual credits the Lord for showing up.
Now I have been in meetings where His presence seemed to be very tangible. That is, my senses seem to feel His presence more than before the meeting started. But did God show up more or did I sense or feel Him more? Maybe ask the question where was He until you were aware of His presence? Could it be that we need to have a different perspective on this? Scripture states He is with us and would never leave us. He would never abandon us like an orphan. He even said He is with us to the end of age, meaning forever. Scriptures continually teach us His Spirit lives in us, we are the temple of the living God. (Mt.1:23, Is.41:10, 1Cor.3:16, Jn.1:14, Dt.31:6,8, Mt.28:20, Ps.23:4, 2Tim.1:14, Rom.8:11, Jn.14:16-18, 1Cor.6:19)
Now we know there is a Spiritual and a natural realm. We also know our natural realm will cease to exist one day and all there will be is the Spiritual. However, while on earth you have both operating at the same time. So the truth is Jesus is here with us all the time. Those times that His presence seems to be so strong, whether during a private setting, or an experience during meetings, or through group worship sets our focus was greater and distractions were just not there. Our hearts and minds were centered completely on Him in those moments.
The same is true when we don’t seem to sense His presence, He is there with us but our mind and heart are more on our personal situation and circumstances that’s happening in our personal space. The truth is He is there with us and was always there, but because of natural hindurances, things that distract us, our attention is on other things. This is where we are not as focused as we could have been. Here is the definition of distraction.
Distraction; anything that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else; extreme agitation of the mind or emotions that keeps their focus on something else other than what they need to do; something or someone that directs one’s attention away from something which should be seen, heard, or done:
But when we are focused on Him, distractions of life that have cluttered our hearts and minds seem to fade away, we become more in tune to His presence. It makes sense His presence would be more when our focus and attention is centered on Him more. Our passion and desire is locked in on Him, so our faith is stirred to a higher level of awareness. So being aware of His presence in your life space is really a normal concept. Look at the definition of aware;
Aware; having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge of something happening or existing, having knowledge or experience of a particular thing:
Divine Awareness
So having a divine awareness should be something every christian is cultivating in a greater and greater capacity and not letting things slip by you. How aware are you of what God is doing today? Were you aware of His presence when you got up this morning? How about last night when you went to bed? Did you think of Him during the day being with you in your personal space? The truth is, right now where you are, all around you, God is doing things and He is wanting to live His life through your life. He wants you involved. He wants you to have the greatest experience in your life on earth with Him. However we must believe He is in your personal space.
Even though it is an unseen realm it is just as real as anything you can see, touch, or hear in the natural realm, because He is there. Just because you cannot see it does not mean it’s not there. You can have a magnet and see its effect upon contact with metal but you cannot see the magnetic force itself. You can say it’s windy because you see the leaves or branches in a tree moving, but you don’t actually see the wind itself, you see its effect.
We know how gravity works, what goes up must come down yet you don’t see gravitational pull, just its effects. There are lots of things happening everyday we don’t see and yet we know they are there, we just don’t think about them so we really are not aware of them. It is the same with God. Just because we are not aware of them does not mean they are not happening.
Look at Paul, He did not know who the person of Jesus was, yet Jesus knew Him, actually all about him and everything he was doing, but Paul was not aware until Jesus made Him aware (Acts 9:1-19). The apostles did not know the power of the Holy Spirit until Pentecost then they understood His power and from that day forward they made sure all could be aware of this power. Those who proclaim to have His Spirit should be aware of wherever they go He goes with them. You need to be aware of the truth, you brought Him with you. He is always all around His people moving, loving, providing, because He is with us.
Ask Yourself
So how aware of God’s presence are you? Do you believe God is here right now doing things, and wanting you to know, see and hear, to be fully aware of Him.
but just as it is written: “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 NASB2020
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Romans 8:32 NASB2020
“I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:20-21 NASB2020
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18 NIV
Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually–regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.” Mat 28:18-20 AMP
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:27-29 NIV
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 NIV
I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Gal 2:20 AMP
And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him. Hebrews 11:6 TPT
Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, “I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!” Hebrews 13:5 TPT
Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed–be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” Heb 13:5 AMP
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 NIV
The realization is, God is not holding any of His presence back from us. However if we are not looking we will not see anything. If we are not listening then we will not hear anything. If we are not listening or looking we are not going to know anything and it just goes right by us unnoticed. We must believe God wants to share His life space with us, and that He is right now in our personal life space. If we believe, then we will be looking and listening and growing in the knowledge of His presence with us -all the time!!
How to Practice Awareness
- Read, meditate on, and believe all of the scriptures Jesus said about Him being with us.
- Talk to Him like any other person being with you. If He is here right now talk to Him the same way you would with anybody else you were with right now. But talk to Him as someone close you have invited in to your life space.
- Look and listen for His presence, if you believe He is here then look with spiritual eyes for what He is doing, set your ear to hear what He might be saying not just to you but anybody around you
- If He is with you then act like it, let your actions reflect this, act as one who has Jesus walking with them wherever they go, share your life space with Him
- Believe, exercise your faith that He is now living His life through you. Practice picturing Him with you, wanting to do His work through you. Ask Him what He wants to do today, right now in this moment.
