The Power of God’s Presence
As the year ended and the New Year was ushered in, I was dominated with the words of Moses addressing God in Exodus 33:15, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Moses was saying, “Lord, if you will not go with us we don’t want to go one step further!” Why is the Lord’s presence so necessary? His presence is vital because:
1. That is the place of total joy and unlimited pleasure.
Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures evermore.”
The Devil tries to counterfeit this happiness, but the after taste of his “kicks” can kill you. The Lord gives pure happiness with no bad side effects!
2. That is the place obstacles are removed.
Psalm 97:5 “The hills are melted like wax at the presence of the Lord.…”
The immature Christian often wants to claim Mark 11:23 “…whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed.…” but fails to realize unless one is living in the presence of God he can claim that verse until “Kingdom comes”, but nothing will happen. Thank God, when God’s presence is near Mt. Sinai (the law) can be conquered because Christ conquered Mt. Calvary, and if we will wait on Him we’ll conquer and abide on the Mount of Transfiguration (II Corinthians 3:18).
3. It is the place of honor.
God said in I Samuel 2:30 “…for them that honour me I will honour….” What a noble challenge! The next question is where and when do we begin to honor God and enjoy the blessing of His exchanged life? The answer is found in I Chronicles 16:27, “Glory and honour are in his presence.…”
Have a great week. Live in His presence.
I love you!
- Pastor Pope -