Sunday, September 30, 2018

Present

God is Present

God is Present
by Boyd Bailey, Author of Two Minutes In The Bible™ Through Psalms
There they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous. Psalm 14:5
God is present in your predicament. You don’t have to pray, “God be with us”; He’s there already. He’s there because He cares. He’s there because you are extremely valuable to Him. God cherishes His children. He loves to give His own good gifts (Matthew 7:11). His presence alone is a present. He’s present to give wisdom. He’s present to give you direction. He’s present to give you courage. In His presence there is peace. He is ever present.

God’s presence is there to calm and convict us. His peace is what propels us forward by faith. Don’t give up on doing the right thing. Sinful compromise for short-term satisfaction never ends well. Why put your family at risk by running after forbidden fruit? God hasn’t left you. He doesn’t wink at wicked deeds. He’s right by your side to see you through this sinful temptation. Indeed the fruit of His presence is the fear of God. He reminds us to remain pure.
“How then could I [Joseph] do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).
His presence is made manifest in a company of Christ followers. In community, the body of Christ is in full expression. Sin pushes us to seclusion. It’s an illusion to think we can isolate ourselves from Almighty God. But in authentic community there’s nowhere to hide. In the presence of committed Christ followers, we feed our faith. Don’t fight temptation alone. Tell someone. Stay engaged with the righteous. This is the presence of God personified.
Stay in the presence of God-fearing followers. This time of engagement with others facilitates our alone time with our heavenly Father. Stay hard after your heavenly Father in solitude and prayer. His presence is inviting you into intimacy. Design your life around a daily retreat into His presence. Look into His face and feel His love. In His presence He provides just what we need in the moment. Therefore persevere in prayer without ceasing. Be present in His presence!
“God is our refuge and strength, 
an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
What does it mean for the Spirit to be ever-present? How does the Spirit strengthen my spirit?

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