What is an Immanuel Moment?
Central to our approach to helping people mature and grow is learning to have an interactive relationship with Jesus. Like any relationship, we seek out special moments of connection and communication. We like to call these “Immanuel Moments.”
The name “Immanuel” means “God with us” and is one of the names that scriptures use to describe Jesus. Immanuel, or “God with us” gives us a picture of a very personal and intimate God. Here at Life Model Works we believe that living life with an awareness of the nearness of God has a direct impact on our levels of peace and joy.
We also believe that sharing stories about our “Immanuel Moments” is a joy building exercise for the community.
So, what exactly is an Immanuel Moment?
Plain and simply, an Immanuel Moment is a time when you are aware of Jesus being with you. There are probably hundreds of descriptions of Immanuel Moments but typically, they fall into three categories.
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5-bar moments
“5-bar moments” are times when you are very aware of His presence. The term 5-bar moments is a reference to our cell phone signals. (Not a night of bar hopping!) When you have “5 bars” you know the connection is strong and good. You are hearing and seeing things between you and God clearly. Such moments could take place when you are in the middle of praying, journaling, or worshipping or perhaps you’re just very focused on the nature of God.
Share Immanuel Memories
“Share Immanuel Memories” are memories of times when you participated in healing prayer using the Share Immanuel technique that Dr. Karl Lehman and Dr. Jim Wilder have taught us. These times with Immanuel typically happen behind closed eyes, but they can be some of the strongest and most impactful Immanuel moments to return to build our joy and increase our capacity. Frequently, Share Immanuel Memories also become 5-bar moments for many of us.
Appreciation Memories
The last category of Immanuel Moments are times where we might not have realized that Immanuel was “in the picture” at the time, but later we look back and become more aware of His presence in that memory. An appreciation memory could be a time when you felt appreciation for nature, or friends and family, and then later asked Jesus where He was at that moment. These Appreciation Memories take on a new and fresh light when we become aware of His presence.
Regardless of what kind of Immanuel Moment you have, the more frequently you can become aware of God not only being with you, but also being GLAD TO BE WITH YOU, the more joy builds in your heart, mind, and soul! The truth of the matter is, He is always with us- it’s part of His name, it’s the truth of who He is. “Heaven on earth” is all about increasing your awareness of His presence.
