The Sixth Sense: Time Perceptive State of Awareness

The clock does not determine age or the rate of physical degradation; it merely serves as a tool for measurement. It is use, exposure, and the myriad chemical interactions within and around matter that drive growth and decay. These chemical processes would occur regardless of a clock’s presence. The chemical universe is inherently sequential — no single event can occur without a preceding set of circumstances and in direct reference to a framework of interacting rule-sets. Similarly, the human hippocampus functions sequentially; organising events in rough sequence — creating a state of temporal awareness as we accumulate experience — an awareness aided by the shift between light and dark brought about by Earth’s rotation in relation to the sun. This results in a biological sense of time passing.

We are all a sum of our experiences. If a life is filled with tension and suffering, the likelihood of negative emotional transfer to others is high. If a life is surrounded by love and respect, the likelihood of positive emotional transfer increases. Past experiences shape natural responses to future events — a cause-and-effect system that powerfully influences quality of life. Future outcomes are shaped by past experiences, whether or not we consciously remember them.

When was the last time you lost all sense of time passing? Chances are, it happened during a happy moment. Regardless of what else was going on in your life, those moments offered a glimpse of Heaven — the sensation of existing outside time. In the Heaven God has created for us, there will be no heartache, only boundless love. Fight-or-flight mechanisms — so often triggered by memory and the root of much sin and sadness — will no longer be part of our sanctified bodies. We will not react in pain to memories of our earthly lives.

Christians, in service of God, are called to bring joy to others so they too may experience those glimpses of Heaven. True joy is most deeply felt when time seems to disappear. This is the essence of eternity. When God says He is outside of time, He is telling us that He is — and is surrounded by — love. A single act of Spirit-led kindness can ripple through generations. One touch from the King can transform the broken and the bound, enabling them to pass on positive emotion to those around them. Creating positive memories is one of our greatest defences against the enemy. A Christian should be present in every pit imaginable, offering others the gift of timeless joy.

Our autonomy is of utmost importance to God. To create beings who could only do His will would be to create slaves. Instead, He gave us the power to choose, knowing we could either extend His love or destroy through selfishness. The ability to choose a master is strong evidence of His unconditional love. Our choices create a network of branching consequences that extend throughout our lives and the lives of others. If we are to follow the plan God has for us, the joy we share must align with His will. The birth, death, and resurrection of Christ burns away the deadwood, allowing new branches to bear fruit.

God’s will is made clear through scripture and is evident in the loving actions of Christ’s followers. Joy suspends our awareness of time, and it is within our power to cultivate this joy permanently if we live according to His will. Joy can be found in every circumstance. Through the life of Jesus, we learn that joy is possible in both abundance and hardship. When we thank God in our suffering and celebrate the trust He has placed in us to endure it, we nurture the right kind of branches. We must give thanks in all circumstances and encourage others to do the same.

Contrary to popular belief, the evil one does not often tell blatant lies. Lies that are obviously false would undermine the enemy’s effectiveness. Instead, the enemy deals in subtle manipulation. These whispers, though seemingly benign, yield negative results when acted upon. The most dangerous lies are those that blend truth with falsehood, creating disinformation that spreads confusion, doubt, and guilt. These ideas are often consumed by the masses or by influential people who then unknowingly perpetuate the confusion. The enemy seeks to turn us inward, to fixate us on temporal success and on serving worldly systems that stand opposed to God. The enemy is willing to spread joy, so long as that joy draws us away from God’s will and, ultimately, from our salvation.

Time, when manipulated to feel like a looming physical burden, becomes a tool in the enemy’s arsenal. The world encourages us to chase success and wealth, to build experiences on the flawed belief that paradise is guaranteed or, worse, that no paradise exists at all. Joy — and its ability to suspend our sense of time — is exploited by the enemy. Evil can spread love, but its fruit is always rotten, often discovered only long after we have taken a bite.

(2 Peter 3:8) “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” — Suggests God experiences a sense of time passing differently, or not at all. — (1 John 15:5–6) “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” — Jesus emphasises that God’s will must guide our actions; otherwise, we are lifeless branches. (Galatians 6:9) “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Planting seeds and creating positive memories yields a future harvest. (Habakkuk 3:17–18) “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” — Choosing joy in hardship offers others hope and a model of obtainable peace. (1 John 2:15–17) “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” — Seeking anything above God leads to spiritual death.