Walking in the Presence of God -Part I

“Lord, if your presence does not go with us, do not send us from here.

How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us.

What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
Exodus 33: 15-16

Presence: source: dictionary.com


pres·ence
   /ˈprɛzəns/ Show Spelled[prez-uhns] Show IPA
–noun
1.
the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.
2.
attendance or company: Your presence is requested.
3.
immediate vicinity; proximity: in the presence of witnesses.
EXPAND
4.
the military or economic power of a country as reflected abroad by the stationing of its troops, sale of its goods, etc.: the American military presence in europe; the Japanese presence in the U.S. consumer market.
5.
Chiefly British . the immediate personal vicinity of a great personage giving audience or reception: summoned to her presence.
6.
the ability to project a sense of ease, poise, or self-assurance, especially the quality or manner of a person's bearing before an audience: The speaker had a good deal of stage presence.
7.
personal appearance or bearing, especially of a dignified or imposing kind: a man of fine presence.
8.
a person, especially of noteworthy appearance or compelling personality: He is a real presence, even at a private party.
9.
a divine or supernatural spirit felt to be present: He felt a presence with him in the room.

What is God's presence?
What does it look like, feel like, what is it's fruit?
Why care?
How do we encounter it?
How do we lose or weaken it?

“as soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”
Matt 3:16-17

(interesting that God didn't say much there, except 2 sentences in public affirmation of His Son – I wonder how much we'd like to talk and hear more of God, but in reality, because we hear, see and prophesy in part, it's best we hear a few concise sentences and get that right than a whole essay and muddle it up? Just a thought.....? )

“The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him...all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from him lips” Luke 4: 20-22

A pastor once said: When you pray, stay there until God warms your heart.

As we look through this topic, I can think of not much more important areas for a man to grasp hold of and develop a personal revelation of what it means to encounter and carry God's presence.

So we know God's presence is encountered by the Holy Spirit. That is how He imparts and engages with us. To some there is the tangible presence of God, a feeling, a sense, a warmth, a knowing, to others there is the physical witness and power of Him in healing, prophesy, knowledge, vision and the like, to others it is theoretical, to others it was something that was experienced many moons ago when they got “saved”, never repeated since. It can be all that and more. I'm just suggesting that for each man, there is a wide spectrum of experiences, but that it is critical for each man to find His presence in every day.

To Moses' request, if we have not God's presence, if we carry not His name, as we carry our own name throughout life, then how will that distinguish us from those that don't carry the Creator's presence? Why would another man come to be restored with his Heavenly Father, if the Heavenly Father's presence was not there? It would then be theoretical and of no consequence, no point.

So God's presence is encountered by the Holy Spirit, which is often referred to as a Dove. The question to my mind, as one Pastor put it, how do you walk with the Holy Spirit sitting on your shoulder like a Dove and make sure it doesn't fly away (spiritually that is) ?

Answer: you walk every step with the purpose and awareness of the Dove on your shoulder.

Commentary Interlude: For those that think as Christian men, we need to walk around in life with the concept of this flattering, highly sensitive dove of a holy spirit that needs mody-coddling, park that thought.

Just think about it: there is every distraction, voice, message, image, multi-media, person, thing, place, from one extreme to the other, that fills in the space where the presence of God should be.

How cognisant have I been over the last couple of months of walking each day with the active mindset of keeping God's presence with me and trying to make sure I don't replace Him with other “stuff"? And what a change I have noticed in myself about how I speak, what I spend my time doing and what I use to say and don't say.

Okay, what are you talking about Ben? You try this for a week, every day as you wake up, get His presence on you, then walk through the day, with 3 or 4 reminders during the day to actively invite God into your presence, before you go to bed, do the same.
Watch what happens to your words, your general language, what gossip or slander you'll shy way from, what negativity you cease, how you react to your kids and wife.... it won't be perfect, but you 'll notice a change.
Why? Because you can't have God's presence on you and simultaneously be cursing your wife next to you.