Living in God’s Presence

 

I used to think that God wanted me to work for Him. I ministered to my husband and three children first: keeping a casually clean home, cooking meals from scratch with my limited recipe base, minimizing mountains of dirty laundry, and participating in the life of my family at home, church, school and play.

I was under the impression that God also desired for me to spend all of my free time serving in the soup kitchen, going to Bible studies, taking abandoned children into our home, helping to lead worship in my church, teaching adults how to read, witnessing to everyone I met and a myriad of other activities as a Pastor's wife.

However, these very activities stole time away from my ability to actually live in the presence of God. Remember when Jesus went to the pool? He only healed one man (John 5:1-18).

Another time, when Jesus walked through the crowd, only the woman who touched his garment was healed (Luke 8:43-48). He could have healed everyone, but He lost a measure of spiritual energy whenever He did; so He paced Himself, used His power wisely and did only those things which God's Spirit directed Him to do.

Jesus taught the crowds, but He spent more time in solitary places communing with our Father God (Matthew 6:9-13, 11:25-26, 14:23; Luke 6:12, 22:32, 22:41-44, 23:34; John 11:41-42, 12:27-28, 17:1-26). He drew His strength, confidence and anointing from this relationship.

We can learn a lesson from Jesus’ life. He listened to God, heard His direction and did only what the Father said and did (John 5:19, 8:28, 12:49). He lived in the very center of God’s will. Now, He calls us to do this very same thing.

Sometimes, I actually argue with the Spirit’s leading, or discount it as a human thought which just floated through my mind. Maybe I am tired and I do not want to follow the Spirit’s leading. 

I have my own agenda for my day; so I decide to take a nap or go to the pool or make some craft instead of obeying my Father’s will. When I do, I quickly learn that I grieved the Holy Spirit and missed an opportunity to further the Kingdom of God and to receive His blessings.

Sometimes, God will lead us to nap, because of what lies ahead in our evening, or He has a person at the pool or golf course whom He wants us to talk to about Jesus. The point is to walk in the Spirit, so we do not reap the consequences of living in the flesh.

Prayer:

Father God, keep our thoughts centered on You as we learn to walk only in Your ways. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see the spiritual realm of life, so we do not walk in the flesh, but in Your Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25). We want to live for Your glory and to further Your Kingdom in the earth. You are our everything and we live to bring You pleasure.

We want to seek and to save the lost, just like Jesus did. We want to impact Your Kingdom in the earth every day that we reside on this earth. Remind us to smile at people, to engage strangers in conversation if they are willing, to minister to our neighbors' needs, to visit the sick and hospitalized, to do true religion that is pure and undefiled (James 1:27).

Thought for the Day:

We no longer rely on our human reasoning to direct our day, because we seek the Lord; He directs our path (Proverbs 3:5-6) as we walk through our day communing with our Father and following His Spirit’s direction even if it makes no human sense to us at all.

 

Glorious Freedom

 

Faith is an ethereal concept, wispy, something that we cannot get a grip on. The meaning of faith seems to elude us at times. The hard part about faith is that in order to have it, we cannot doubt (Matthew 21:21). Jesus said that faith is the substance of the things, which we hope for (Hebrews 11:1). Faith helps us to believe that our hopes are real. How does faith do that? It causes us to put our trust in God alone.

Jesus chided people for their unbelief (Matthew 17:20). He actually marveled when He found great faith in people (Matthew 8:10; 15:28). He spoke a great deal about faith. Jesus told His disciples that faith is actually a cure for fear (Matthew 8:26). He builds our faith with statements such as the fact that God clothes us like the grass in the field, because we are of far more importance to Him (Matthew 6:30). 

When Jesus saw the faith of the sick people who came to Him, He immediately healed them (Matthew 9:22, 29; Luke 7:50). He even healed people when their friends or family had faith for them (Matthew 9:2; 15:28). When we are full of the faith of Jesus, we can do the great deeds, which He directs us to accomplish (Acts 6:8; Ephesians 2:10). Many people come to Christ when they see us living out our authentic faith (Acts 11:24).

Actually, we do not have to manufacture great faith devoid of all doubt; we simply need to live by His faith (Galatians 2:20; Acts 3:16). Satan’s demons attempt to distract us or discourage us, but God is the author and finisher of our faith (Acts 13:8). His faith heals us in body and soul (Acts 14:9). We comfort each other by sharing our mutual faith in God with one another (Romans 1:12). Our faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6)

Prayer:

Father God, You multiplied the number of Believers in the early church, and You continue to do that same thing all over the earth and throughout the ages of time (Acts 16:5). We thank You for opening the door of faith to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews. You make no difference between them and us, because You purify our hearts by faith (Acts 15:9). In this life, we enter Your Kingdom through much tribulation, which helps our faith in You to grow (Acts 14:22).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us faith as He turns us from the darkness of this world to His light, and from the power of Satan’s stranglehold on us to His glorious freedom. – Acts 26:18