The Priest

Welcome to video number six, The Priest's Access, Intimacy, and God's Presence. My brothers and my sisters, listen, in the kingdom of God, you are not just a king who rules, you are a priest who draws near. Kings deal with territory, but priests deal with presence. And kings legislate on behalf of heaven, priests minister to the God of heaven. And hear me, before you ever rule for God, you must learn to rest in God. Before you walk in dominion, you must walk in devotion. Before you stand with authority, you must kneel with adoration. And this is why Jesus made you kings and priests, because ruling without intimacy becomes pride. I'm going to say that again. Ruling as a king without intimacy becomes pride. You're doing it for yourself. And intimacy without ruling becomes passivity. A mature believer knows how to do both. It's very important to balance out this, a schedule, a detailed schedule daily, making sure that your secret place is primary as soon as you wake up, before you go to sleep. Also having a very detailed schedule throughout the day to make sure that you're hitting goals and that God is giving you and completing assignments, precept upon precept. But the priesthood is about access. When Jesus rose from the dead, he didn't just save you from hell. He opened up the Holy of Holies to you. So yes, you got saved from hell, but he also gave you access to the Holy of Holies. The presence of God that now lives in you. In the old covenant, only one man, a Levitical high priest, once a year, with blood, with fear, sorry, with fear, could enter behind the veil. But because of Christ, the veil was torn, the boundary was removed, the distance was canceled. The father said, come close and let me fill you. You don't beg to enter. You don't beg.

You don't audition for acceptance. You don't earn your place. So you don't access the presence by trying to earn or perform or do things for God. It's because you're in Christ simply, identity, positional. You share in the same benefits of his Melchizedek priesthood. Not the order, not the status, but the access. You can stand before God without guilt, without shame, without fear of rejection. Hear me. Your greatest privilege as a believer is not ministry, power, influence, or gifting. Your greatest privilege is access to God himself, hallelujah, reconciliation. Priesthood is about intimacy with God. Priests don't just visit God, they minister to him. This is where many Christians struggle. They know how to pray for things, but they don't know how to pray to someone. They know how to ask for breakthrough, but they don't know how to adore the God of breakthrough. Ooh, that's so good. They know how to ask for breakthrough, right, decreeing kingship, but they don't know how to adore the God of breakthrough first. Ooh, shabbat l'haresh kid, I feel the presence of God. True priesthood is worship that isn't rushed, stillness that isn't awkward, devotion that isn't transactional, presence that isn't pressured, and love that isn't performance. Family, hear this. You become like the one, Jesus, you stay close to. Priests don't just seek God's hand, they seek his heart. Priests don't just seek blessings, they seek the blesser. Priests don't just ask God to come near, they live near him. The more you minister to God, the more God ministers through you. Hallelujah. The more you minister to God, the more God can minister through you. A priestly life is a consecrated life.

Yes, you have access. Yes, you have intimacy, but priesthood also requires consecration. I love this word, consecration. I preach it, teach it, and I live by it. Consecration simply means I belong fully to him. It doesn't mean perfection. It doesn't mean that you're just doing everything perfect. It actually means possession. And God has all of you. A consecrated believer guards their thought life, watches their atmosphere, discern what feeds their spirit, lives clean and private, protects their devotion, refuses casual Christianity. And consecration is not legalism, it's loyalty. It's not bondage, it's belonging. You don't consecrate yourself to earn God's love, you consecrate yourself because you have God's love. Let's talk about the three functions of a new covenant priest. Again, the three functions of a new covenant priest, reading my notes here. First, minister to God. Your first ministry is upward, not outward. Before you preach, serve, lead, evangelize, or cast out devils, you worship. You give God your affection, your quiet time, your attention, adoration, and devotion. Priests don't wait for a church service. They are the sanctuary. Number two, carry God's presence. Priests under the old covenant carried the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders. And we know that the Ark of the Covenant is where the presence of God dwelled. You carry his presence now inside your spirit. This means your atmosphere,

because you've been with them, will shift rooms, will disarm demons. Your holiness convicts hearts. Your life becomes a fragrance. Your decisions carry weight. Everywhere you go, he goes. Number three, represent God to people. A priest doesn't just talk about God. He reveals God. Your face, your tone, your posture, your compassion, your patience, your purity all preach louder than your words. People meet God through you. Before they even meet God through scripture, they meet God through you because you shine your light. Priests become living encounters for the king because you've been with them. The inner room where priests are formed. Before there's public ministry, there's a private ministry. Before there's leadership, there's love. Before there's authority, there's intimacy. Your secret place is your priesthood training ground. When you sing, heaven listens. When you kneel, the father draws close. When you meditate, the spirit whispers. When you wait, God reveals. When you rest, God heals. I'm gonna say that again.

When you sing, heaven listens because it's worship. When you kneel, postured in reverence to God, the father draws close. When you meditate, the spirit whispers when you're still. When you wait, God reveals in visions. And when you rest in his presence, God can heal. Kingship grows you outward. Priesthood grows you inward. Kingship shapes your leadership. Priesthood shapes your love. Kingship advances the kingdom. Priesthood binds you to the king. So let's talk about section six. Priests who don't minister to God. Priests who don't minister to God will dry up. This is why many Christians, you've seen leaders, all types of people throughout history, lose passion, lose joy, lose purity, lose fire, lose consistency, lose desire for scripture and lose victory. They are trying to be kings without being priests. They want authority without intimacy and power without purity. Influence without devotion. Family, hear me by the spirit if you have ears to hear. The quickest way to spiritual burnout is ministry without intimacy.

I'm gonna say it again. The quickest way to spiritual burnout, where you wanna leave and go back to the world, where you're just done, where you just don't wanna walk this walk out anymore, when you start questioning things and then go back to the world, it's because you are not intimate. So spiritual burnout is ministry without intimacy. The quickest way to spiritual strength is intimacy without a hurry. So the priesthood is your first calling, guys. Before God calls you to preach, he calls you to draw near. And before he will send you to people, he'll call you to sit with him. Before he uses your hands, he touches your heart. Priesthood is not optional. Priesthood is not for just pastors. Priesthood is not for the spiritually elite. Priesthood is your identity and your invitation. So family, enter the presence, stay in his presence, live from the presence, minister to the one Jesus who saved you. Carry him like a holy flame. Reveal him everywhere you walk. You are a priest unto God. You are a minister of his presence and you are invited to the Holy of Holies daily. Now live close, live consecrated,

live captivated, live connected. This is the life of a priest. Take the quiz and I'll see you in the next video.