From the Desk of Steve Shultz:
Whenever I read through John Belt's words, I imagine myself in the secret place...entering His presence.
That's what John's words and worship unto the Lord do...they cause us to draw closer to Him.
Do you want to experience God's presence daily and see it increase in your life? I sure do!
Please read this awesome word by our friend John Belt and get ready to experience the Lord in greater measure for you and your family right now. (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
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Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News
elijahlist.com
I just want to share with you today how important it is for you to understand that God wants to spend time with you – in His manifested presence. It's not hard for a lot of people who believe in Jesus to understand that God wants to be with them, but to understand the manifested presence of God is a different story.
Jesus Modeled Life in God's Presence
Jesus – He walked in the presence of God. He was conscious of His presence as He walked the earth. He was able to minister to people, see people set free, see miracles and all these kinds of things because of the Holy Spirit having taken residence inside of Him.
Jesus was not only aware that God was everywhere (God is omnipresent; He is everywhere), but He was aware of and knew how to access the place of His manifested presence that is NOT everywhere. Jesus modeled this for us so that we would walk in that reality. God wants us to drink of His presence.
In Psalm 36:8 it says, "They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures." It's God's will for us to be satisfied in His presence, to know His peace surpasses all understanding, and to know His manifest presence.
There's a place of confidence when you know God's presence is in you. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to drink of His river of pleasures. Jesus walked in this place so much so that when the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of His garment, He actually felt the virtue and life flow out of Him.
Jesus knew that a certain portion of the glory and the manifest presence of God flowed out Him into this woman and healed her. Don't you want to walk in that place where the glory is that evident? I would like to think we all do. It's God's will for you to experience His presence daily, not just for yourself – even though you need to experience Him – but also for others, so that you can be a conduit of the Spirit to other people. (Photo via Unsplash)
Keeping the Freshness
I think many times we start our walk with the Lord and we get clean, but later lose that freshness of relationship. And there's nothing more fresh and amazing as a being newly converted into Christ – because there's a fresh washing of the Spirit that we encounter.
I can remember when I was baptized in a Baptist church out in the country when I was about 15 years old. I felt this washing and this cleansing, spiritually, when I was baptized in water. I came up feeling new. I think sometimes people lose that freshness of the Spirit, that "feeling new" in Christ.
As we continue to walk in this world we encounter different things, and some come into agreement with lies. But we need to stay in alignment with the truth in Christ. God's will is for us to experience His manifest presence all the time – to experience that newness and freshness that we have in the Spirit in Christ.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, You must be born again. You must be born of the Spirit. And Nicodemus asked, How can a person enter back into their mother's womb and be born a second time? But Jesus said, No, you must be born of the Spirit. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (see John 3).
Think about it...as you are born of the Holy Spirit, how odd would it be if you didn't have that relationship continued just like a natural family? Just like with your natural mother and father, you would continue in that relationship, that intimacy and that reality of your parents. The Holy spirit was very intimately involved in your new birth as well. Because of this, it's important that you have the communion of the Holy Spirit in your life and realize it's God's will for you.
The Spirit of Renewal
A lot of people start off believing in Jesus and they end up in works and legalism. We don't want to fall into that. It's good to have a personal heart examination time. Be honest, have an inspection and ask yourself, "What have I opened myself up to? What lies am I believing that are causing me to not experience the presence of God?" If you are not experiencing this freshness anymore ask yourself, "What has happened? Have I continued in a life of worship?"
Worship helps us to feel His refreshing. There's renewing and worship. There's a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. When we look at Ephesians 5:18-19 it says, "And do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart." (Photo via Unsplash)
And so we want to continue to be filled with the Spirit, even through worship. Continue to connect with God. That's a key – to connect with God in worship... (continue reading)
