Pursuing the Presence of God that makes All the Difference

In the last season of 21 days fasting in March 2013, the Lord spoke to me the three revelatory Truths or The Word for the season.  The first one, I shared with you already, and that was Perez – Hebrew root word parats.  Then the Lord wanted me to meditate on the Presence, referring to His Presence, Hebrew root word panim.   

 I started meditating the presence of God that made ALL the difference through the pages of the scriptures for my personal benefit. However, this post highlights only the importance of pursuing the Presence of God.

The key context for this post is

Exodus Chapter 33

14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

17 So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

Moses is having a conversation with the Lord God Almighty, the creator of Heaven and Earth. Bible says that God of Heaven and Earth spoke to Him just like talking to a friend.  In that conversation, the Lord is saying that His presence will go with Moses and the people of Israel.  Moses was very insisting and said, “Lord, if your presence doesn’t come with me and the people, please do not take us further.  We don’t want to go without You being in our midst.” The Lord gives the assurance that His Presence will go before them.  Because Moses was seeking the presence of God in His life, God made a covenant with Moses which is seen in Exodus Chapter 34 verse 10

 ¹⁰ And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

If the presence of a prime minister or president of a country in a place can make all the difference, how much more difference the presence of an almighty God will make in our lives.  This post is to give a call to pursue the Presence of God in our lives.

Keep on destroying the works of the Flesh by Walking in the Spirit and Walking in Obedience:

Galatians 5: 19-21 "Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."

Make sure that the Holy Spirit, the Lord God, within you is comfortable residing in you:

³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

Holy Spirit within us is grieved when we do things that displease Him.  When we are not led by the Spirit, we are walking independently of Him, that time He feels the discomfort and when we keep on walking in flesh according to this world, disobedient to God, we grieve Him much and slowly and finally He leaves us quietly. When the Holy Spirit arrives in a person, He comes in noticeably with some evidence like tongues or body shaking etc, or in the visible form like the dove, fire, wind, etc., but when He leaves a person, He leaves without being noticed.  The person may not know that the Lord has left him. For example Samson, a mighty Judge of the Israelites, he did extraordinary things through the anointing or the Spirit of the Lord.  But when He lost His consecration, the Lord left Samson and Samson was not aware of it. 

When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. Judges 16.18-21. 

When a person loses consecration, he had to pay a heavy price to get back into the presence of God. But it is better to pay whatever price than to stay away from the presence of God. 

Matthew 18

7 Woe to the world for such temptations to sin and influences to do wrong! It is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the person on whose account or by whom the temptation comes!

8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better (more profitable and wholesome) for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire.

9 And if your eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you; it is better (more profitable and wholesome) for you to enter life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the hell (Gehenna) of fire.

However, when the evil spirit enters a person, it comes in stealthily and quietly, but when it finally goes out of a person it makes a violent exit. 

Our God is a gentle God and He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords making His residence inside of our bodies, which is His temple, and He requires all due respect and attention.  Let us resolve to make sure that our Lord is happy with us and He delights over us and sings over us. 

Prayer:  Dear Father, we come to You in Jesus Precious Name.  Lord just as Moses, Joshua, and many other servants of the Lord who valued Your presence in their lives more than anything else, help us to value Your presence in our lives more than anything else.  Help us to pursue after your Presence with all diligence.  Holy Spirit we want to be under your subjection at all times.  Lord reign over our bodies, wills, emotions, and spirits.  Let Your presence fill our bodies, the temples of the Living God.  May You be Worshiped as the Lord and King in these temples and in these lives.  In Jesus Mighty Name, we pray.  Amen!!      

If you have any other thoughts or comments related to this, please feel free to share.  Thank you!!

 Written By: Shanta Daniel
[Copyright@ Permission is granted to duplicate this article in its entirety only including the author and ministry name at the end]