Think About Your Thinking – Lesson 5
We’re Standing on Holy Ground!
By Glennys Elliott
As we think within our hearts, that is who we are.
Paraphrased from Proverbs 23:7
“The Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29b-31 NASB
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Luke 10:27; 1 Timothy 1:5)
Lesson 5
Remember: The scripture above. We are to love the Lord our God with all our being; believing and focusing not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. We are to get a new way of thinking, renewing our minds, so that we will then know what His will is–His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
We are also created for relationship: First, our relationship with the Lord our God and then with others. We are to encourage and love fellow Christians. We are to have a love for the lost and a desire to tell them about the forgiveness of sins, and salvation and hope of eternal life that is theirs through Jesus Christ.
Take Off Your Shoes
Take off your shoes? You must be asking yourself; “Where is she going with this?” It is a story about Moses, but we are going to focus on “Take off your shoes, you are on Holy Ground.”
Holy ground is self-explanatory, and taking off one’s shoes is a sign of respect.
Think about the road map on the handout from our last class. As we travel the road set before us, we will encounter many obstacles and detours along the way. We also have God getting our attention by placing “burning bushes” along the way.
Can you think of a “burning bush” along your road of life? Did you stop or walk past it? ______________________________________________________________________________
- Moses had grown up as Egyptian royalty. He was well fed and educated. Those events occurred on his road to the Lord.
- Next his road took him to the life of a shepherd. On this portion of his map he married and had children. He tended the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro.
- Then, his road took him directly to a burning bush that did not burn up. God was now calling him to take the road back to Egypt and lead the Israelites to the “Promised Land.”
Exodus 3:1-6, Amplified Bible
The Burning Bush
3 “Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro (Reuel) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb (Sinai), the mountain of God. 2 The [a]Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing flame of fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was on fire, yet it was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn away [from the flock] and see this great sight—why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned away [from the flock] to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then God said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet [out of respect], because the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”
Holy Ground
Before Christ, God spoke directly to the Patriarchs or heads of families. Then, he spoke to the high priests in the temple. For God’s people, much of their time was spent living out their faith and obedience through the many rules and regulations given to them by God. God’s chosen people, the Israelites, had numerous rituals to follow, as well as the sacrificing of animals and grains to the Lord. Their obedience to the Lord’s commands was very physical.
Where we are is holy ground
Christ became the new high priest when he came to live as a human being. Now, obedience was that of faith in the unseen and obedience being carried out in the heart and mind. No longer did His people have to go to the temple and consult the priests. No longer did the people have to sacrifice animals and grains. Now, God’s people were the temple.
It is no different for us today, as God’s chosen people, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. We are the temple of the Spirit of God!
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Amplified Bible
19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? 20 You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.”
We have the Spirit of God living within us!! The Spirit is in you and me, that is a gift that is difficult to comprehend! Think about this; there is no place that we go that is not Holy Ground.
If we could always keep that thought in mind, how differently would we live out each day. Would we go to the same places, use the same language, eat the same foods, drink the same drinks, and/or have the same friends?
Realizing that you are always on “Holy Ground,” what would you change in your daily life?
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Would you go barefooted (not literally) everywhere you went?
Would there be fewer detours on your road to heaven?
Hebrews 11:1 Amplified Bible
11 “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen” [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
We have been looking at some of the people of the Old Testament. We have examined their examples of faith and obedience, and at times their lack of faith and disobedience.
Think about your road map of life. Name a time when you stayed on the correct route and a time when you took a detour. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Romans 12:1-2 Amplified Bible
12 [a]“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]”.
What are some of the thoughts that keep you tied to this world (passed experiences, anxiety, fear, worry, depression, etc.)? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are you able to remember a time or event when you reacted to the circumstances based on your faith? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If we chose to take them, there can be many detours that are accompanied by many hazards on our journey toward heaven.
Can you see how thoughts and actions can keep you on the correct road or get you far off course?
Conclusion
- Do not walk past any “burning bushes.”
- Take off your shoes for you are standing on Holy Ground!
Teacher’s Note– I like to provide a visual, hands on object to emphasize a point. I will call these objects symbols.
With this lesson I provided a child’s flip flop with the words “Holy Ground” written on the top of it.
This is a reminder that wherever we are, we are on Holy Ground.
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