Monday, July 20, 2015

God Is Present . .Act Like You Believe It?




[limited internet access -- sorry]

“Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence.  The experience of the psalmist speaks of (Psalm 46:1-3) ‘God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble. And so, we won't be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea. Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.’   Will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it.” CHAMBERS

Practicing the Presence of God is a book about a man known as Brother Lawrence.  This man was known for his deep spirituality.  The fragrance of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15) to those who knew him.  People were drawn to him.  His habit or practice was a continual awareness of the presence of God.  What trouble are you facing today?  If God is present ….. why would you worry?  Why do you fret, Christian?  When you face the uncertainties of life why do you look about like a squirrel in the road trying to decide which way to turn?  (Matthew 6:25-33) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? …. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? … O you of little faith? "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' …. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

The problem is that we lose our awareness of His presence.  Rather than think of God as continually with us, we act as though He has gone away and we must call him back, and hopefully, He will arrive on time and help us overcome the difficulty.  But what if He doesn’t.  When Lazarus was sick (John 11) Jesus waited until Lazarus died.  What kind of help was that?  God allowed his death … don’t you know that his family was praying that he would live?  They sought out Jesus to help … but Jesus waited.  And what happened .. Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb.  Are you ready for God to use you that way?  To seemingly allow you to lose only to show the world that you have victory in Jesus?  God’s presence does not mean that you won’t suffer loss … We say we are willing to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), but when the loss of some things that we value is threatened, we worry. It is a matter of perspective.  If you take these letters “GODISNOWHERE”  and arrange them, it can read … ‘God is Nowhere’ or ‘God is Now here’. The one that you live by, and only you know, will determine how you respond to life.  Think about it.  ELGIN

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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