In The Spring Of His Presence

Spring is about rebirth and new life for all of God’s creation. It is about growth and the restoration of abundance. This is what God encouraged me to review when His presence paid me a visit. He wanted to open my eyes and deepen my understanding of importance of the death and resurrection of my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I had finished interceding for the Easter Service, when I felt impressed to take a closer look at a large wooden cross laying on the stage. As I knelt down and felt the grain of the wood, God spoke to my heart.

“Lie down on the cross,” He said, “because there is something I want to show you.

At first, I felt unworthy. No Lord! Then, I thought what if someone sees me and how would that look?

God was patient with my objections but He continued to press me to trust Him. Ultimately, I willingly laid down on the cross and positioned myself as Jesus would have been. First, I placed my feet and then stretched out my arms across the horizontal post. When I indicated that I was ready, God quickly responded with,

“Ok…close your eyes and follow Me.”

I had seen the movie The Passion so God used that frame of reference to flash one still slide after another across the screen of my mind. The vivid images progressed from the trial, to the beatings, down the path lined with angry hecklers, and then up the hill where the nails were hammered into his hands and feet. I saw Jesus being lifted up and then I heard the sound of the cross hitting the bottom of the hole. God finished with the final scenes of the crucifixion and Jesus’ death. 

For a couple of minutes afterwards, I couldn’t move. The tears kept coming. I tried to sit up but God kept drawing me back down. I felt totally exposed. When I could not stand lying there any longer, I turned over to embraced the cross like a child crying out for comfort and security. I sensed God’s strong arms rapping around me. It was then that I experienced an overwhelming sense of love, appreciation, and gratitude towards Christ for all He had suffered to give me the salvation I enjoy today.

What was the Purpose for His Presence that day? To give me an experience that would so inspire my soul that I would be catapulted into a fearless proclamation of the cross to all those God would inspire me to reach.

Then He asked,

"Will you be willing to serve Me even more in the days to come?” 

I responded,

“Yes Sir. You can count on me.” 

Does your proclaiming of the Good News need a jolt? If so, allow the God to renew your strength and catapult you into a fearless proclaimation of the Gospel of Salvation. Time is short. We need to focus in on those God sends our way. As Christians, there is really no greater joy then when we have helped another find Christ.

Cultivating God's Presence

 When I am at home, I have been keeping a candle burning almost all the time. For me, it represents the Presence of God being near. I started doing this after I heard my friend, Elizabeth’s explanation for doing the same thing in her home.

Elizabeth was having trouble with knowing the Presence of God was right there with her everyday. As she prayed about it, God told her to light a candle in those times of doubt. In that way, she would have a physical focal point to concentrate on when she was having trouble feeling God near. This simple habit strengthened her faith in God being present with her.

The candle helps but what does it mean to be in God’s Presence?

Learning to be in God’s presence means we are looking to foster intimacy in our relationship with God. To do that, we determined to keep Him in the forefront continually. Our desire is to learn everything we can about Him. What He likes and doesn’t like. We long for His will above our own and His ways above the world’s. We communicate with God about everything.

Learning to be in God’s presence is a process. It is learning to live in your present reality while also being aware of the eternal reality where God lives. As our determination to pursue both realities matures, our relationship and His presence become stronger.

How do we come into God’s presence?

As His child, God’s presence is a promise to us. (Hebrews 13:5) We need to develop this promise by faith so our circumstances do not change our mind.

We cultivate His presence by:

Praise

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Psalm 100:4

Singing:

 

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come His presence with singing.

Psalm 100:2

Thanksgiving

Let us come to him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Psalm 95:2

Reading and mediating on His Word

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

John 1:1

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall

meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make you way prosperous, and then you will have success.

Joshua 1:8

Being able to be in God’s presence is not dependent on how we feel.  Our feelings are so unpredictable. It is easy for us to come into His presence when our lives are going well. However, when our lives are upside down, we may not ‘feel’ like seeking God out. At those times though, feelings have to be dealt with and what better way then in the presence of your loving Father.

God wants to radiate the awareness of His presence through us inwardly so that we can radiate His presence outwardly to the world around us. By cultivating God’s presence in our lives continually, we will know we can accomplish anything.

How about you? What do you need to do to better cultivate the awareness of God’s presence in your life?  You may want to start with a candle or several minutes of praise and thanksgiving. Whatever you decide to do, God is ready to meet you right where you are and the benefits begin with joy.

Come near to God and He will come near to you.

James 4:8

Submit Resist And Be Free

Notice the Cross?

The devil got you down? I don’t know about you, but my enemy comes daily to see if he can trip me up in one way or another. It can be exhausting when he hits on a weak or tender spot where I have not gain the upper hand yet. So…when I read the following scripture in James, hope arises. God’s order brings focus on how to handle the schemes of my adversary. 

vb

Submit yourselves, then, to God.

Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.  

James 4:7

The scripture has a three-step process. Submitting ourselves to God comes first. In this scripture, ‘submit’ means to voluntarily subdue yourself under your commander and cooperate with his instructions. 

Why does retreating into God’s Presence come first?

Let me suggest why it is a wise beginning.

First, we can anchor our soul in Him and make sure we have our armor in place.

Next, God can give us wisdom on scripture to claim and which angle to attack. He knows our maturity level and he adjusts the plan of action accordingly. When we head out to conqueror, we can be united with His strength and focus.

Thirdly, we can ask the Lord if there are any breaches in our wall of protection. This means checking up on your thought life and any questionable attitudes or lack of forgiveness. By searching ourselves for these infractions, we can sure up our boundaries where the enemy has legally come in and plundered.

The devil will first try to commandeer our thoughts by inserting his lies until he gets us to believe his leadings. When he has our way of thinking captured, he can subvert our will. After our thoughts and will are captured, then our devotion will fall sooner or later as well. So look for thought processes that are lies and do not line up with the Word.

Last, look for questionable attitudes, unjust judgments towards others or any unforgiveness. Sometimes, our attitudes are apparent so in essences we are choosing to believe a lie. However, other times we are unaware and need to pray for insight.  

When breaches are wiped out, then we can proceed confidently. Remember… your adversary is very skillful so he can be hard to detect. Cowering will only encourage your enemy to persevere and press farther into your life.

What does it mean to resist the devil?  In this scripture, it means to establish, to withstand, to oppose, and to resist. When we have come from the Presence of God with a plan, then we need to be consistent in carrying out that plan no matter what. It will involve establishing what you believe, speaking it forth and then sticking to your convictions no matter what thoughts, feelings or circumstances come your way. And if you fall down, get back up. It is never to late to gain a victory. Why? With God and His grace at your side, all things are possible.

When will the Devil flee?  The devil‘s goal is to get you to doubt God’s Word… to see his lies as truth instead. He will send whatever causes you to back off from the Truth until he knows you will not fudge or budge. Keep in mind… the longer you withstand, the stronger you become. Our endurance is matured in the struggle. In the end, God’s glory will radiate from us as a testimony to His faithfulness to uphold His Word.

Are you having trouble withstanding your adversary? Don’t give up. God is an ever-present with us. Give Him a chance to show you how profitable believing His word is. I promise you that you will not regret the time spent learning the process.

A Jumper Cables Kind of Day

We all need infilling and refueling as we walk the 'Road of Righteousness'. I hope that as you read this song I wrote, you will feel a power surge from the Holy Spirit Himself. The song has no ascribed tune yet. However, as you read over and ponder the words, I pray the right tune for you will become evident.

I woke up just a moanin'

But I knew I had to keep a goin’.

My spirit felt on empty

So to my bible, I went a searchin'.

Soon the power was a surgin’

Cause Your words began emergin’.

It only took a few peaceful moments

In Your Presence to feel energized again.

Chorus:

It was a jumper cable’s kind of day.

I needed a jolt from you, Lord, just to start me on my way.

Drained of all the power on the trials of yesterday

So I needed a recharging before I headed out today.

The red line revives up the bloodline

And the black one is the prayer line.

When both these are connected,

Double power is sent from heaven.

Keep a tight check on the grippers

So the infilling can be quicker.

Soon my spirit starts a revvin’

Cause my soul has received the blessin’ (to go forth).

Begin your day with a scripture, a song or a melody in your heart. Even though your quiet time with the Lord each day may seem like it cost you, in the end, it will actually save you and keep you on the path towards victory.

The Weary Warrior

Sometimes I have felt forgotten in this dreary and toilsome land.

I so wanted to be the strong soldier that God had in His plan.


But in the heat of battle, I forgot to follow His direction.

What happened next was the inevitable insurrection!

I went up and down the hills of life fighting with all “my” might

Thinking I was doing all that my Commander had in mind.

But suddenly I heard it out of the corner of my ear

His faint little whistle summoning me to come near.

I stood outside His tent of meeting to make sure I was collected.

And to see if there was anything I had knowingly neglected.

As I stepped into His presence and bowed down upon my knees,

He could see me shaking ‘cause I thought He wouldn’t be pleased.

Stand up and come closer child. You need some loving care.

I can see your heart is breaking. It’s full of such despair.

You needed to be summoned here cause you forget the way to fight.

And I wanted to remind you victory is not won by “your” might.

I looked up at His shining face into His eyes of love.

And felt almost simultaneously His arms around me snug.

Any fear I had that I didn’t meet His standards

Melted away immediately with His kind and loving manner.

Now listen to Me closely my child to what I’m about to say

So you will not get discouraged and forget along the way.

My commands are not as hard, if you follow My leading strictly.

Especially when the days are hot and things get a little sticky.

First, I want you near Me never leave My side.

Abiding is the answer for the age-old question of pride.

Next, only decree the words that you hear Me say to you

Until you see them happening and your faith has grown anew.

So what do I do in the middle when my dream seems so impossible?

And everybody is saying that I must have heard You falsely.

He cocked His head a little ways before He answered the question.

Why staying in My Presence child to master the art of intercession.

I raised my hands up high to proclaim the victory

And to seek the understanding that would finally set me free.

That’s the way my child. You have discovered the final key.

Always have that attitude of praise and thanks towards Me.