Many times, we see something in nature, hear something in a conversation, song or video, or sense something in the world around us that reminds us of something greater thing than that currently holding our attention. These thing are called signs or symbols.
Symbols are like signpost pointing us in the direction of the greater object, idea, or value.
Take for example, the quote from the movie Karate Kid: “Fear does not exist in this Dojo…”. It’s a classic, and it’s been used as a meme a thousand times over – I’ve heard it countless times in humorous situations. But until recently, I’ve never taken it beyond face value in those moments of levity.
Driving into work one recent morning, I was wrestling with an anxious thought. I was doing my best to settle my soul in its rightful place: at the foot stool of my Spirit, when all of a sudden this quote came out my mouth from the deep recesses of my long term memory! (Thanks, HS). The moment I spoke those words, anxiety was laid to rest; so was my soul. Then rest of drive in, my mind turned the words over and over. Especially the word “Dojo”. I was so intrigued by it that I looking it up at the office, and what I found was surprising.
According to Wikipedia “A dōjō (道場) is a hall or space for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means “place of the Way” in Japanese.” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dojo)
Isn’t that cool! It literally means place of the Way! This reminded me of the earliest name followers of Jesus Christ, or Yeshua, used to describe themselves: The Way. It wasn’t until later that believers of Yeshua would be known by the name Christian.
Reading further on in the article I learned that Dojos were places built within the grounds of a temple. What does that symbolism remind you of? Our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
By the way, it doesn’t say our souls or our spirits. It says our bodies are the temples, the Holy habitation of limitless God. Meaning, He is very much interested in your body as much as he is with the other two-thirds of your being. Let that sink in a bit.
Putting the pieces together, we see this: we are Holy temples, which includes a place we’ll call “place of the way” or ways, also known as ancient gates, that connect heaven and earth within us. It’s the transition place, and It’s often called the garden of the heart where the river of life flowing out of eternity, from the throne of God, splits into the four rivers of our heart. And it is in this place that the fallen things of the Adamic nature do not exist. Sin and death do not exist. And ever since Christ Jesus re-established access, it has become a place where we turn inward for “immersive learning or meditation”; for training.
One last fact. In traditional Dojos, the rules of the place would be on written on paper and displayed on the front walls. This was for the purpose of student’s remembering proper respect and procedures for being in that place. In the same way, when we declare: “Fear does not exist in this Dojo!” It becomes a symbolic statement of alignment, which serves to remind us who we are in Christ and the Kingdom of heaven that we claim citizenship.
As the Lord has continued to unlock this revelation, I’ve began to insert other words in place of “fear” to broaden and encompass my whole life. For example, sickness doesn’t exist in this Dojo! Lack doesn’t exist in this Dojo!These becomes a very strong symbolic statements when we begin to understand the depth and impact of these signs upon our life.
The next time you are out and about in the world, pay attention to the signs and symbols around you. You may just find yourself standing in front of a signpost pointing to your next revelation and breakthrough.
