Scripture: Isaiah 64 v 1 - 4: "Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him."
Words are inadequate to describe being in the presence of our Lord Jesus. The very air around us is supercharged with something that is foreign to this world. We don't have to wonder what it is, if we know Him, it can only be Him who has graced us with His presence.
The true presence of the Lord cannot be manufactured, but as He said, I will always be with you, then we are always in His presence. We don't always feel it but if it were gone we would feel that.
So if it seems that these blogs are heavy at times concerning the consequences of sin and disobedience to God, it is to spare anyone from having that awful dark feeling for eternity. For spiritual death is the total absence of God and that's what Hell really is. And it is without a second chance. We have to be right with God in the here and now, its not a debatable issue. Mistakes cannot be rectified later.
Many people seem unaware of the danger of committing their lives to follow Jesus Christ, but playing with fire in keeping one foot in the World and the other on a banana skin. The World is full of hidden traps and its so easy to justify our sliding back into habits that defile us. They seem harmless at the time but lead to other things that cut us off from His presence. And it seems to be so hard to find Him again.
The late Pastor Reinhard Bonnke testified of a man who asked him for help to bring him back into the presence of God. He was previously walking with Jesus, and they were on a certain road when he asked Jesus to wait outside while he went into a house of ill-repute. When he came out Jesus was gone and for years he was unable to get back to His presence. It is very unwise to choose the flesh over the Spirit of God.
We all have a free will and if we surrender it to Satan, as Adam and Eve did in Eden, or the man in the above testimony did, then we find ourselves out in the cold, seeing the consequences of our folly but our minds cannot work out the solution. The snake is like a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of us. The life of Jesus within us squandered for the enticement of sex, drugs, rock and roll. It's why God hated Esau, he gave up his birthright for a plate of food.
In today's world through social media, peer pressure, fears, the enticement comes to us undiluted and is available at any hour of the day. Our cell phones contain the passport to all our dreams and occupy much of our lives to the exclusion of time with the Lord. Someone said we are prisoners to our phones that's why they are called cells.
To enjoy His presence takes discipline, faith and true love for Him. Our mission is to win souls to His Kingdom by any good means. Let's use our ever present cell phones to share the gospel, or these blogs, or to meet the needs of those struggling financially, spiritually, with their health or family traumas. Turn them into vessels of honour and delete everything shameful.
Our God wants our full attention, not the crumbs that fall off the table. He has given us everything we need to be saved, now He needs some effort from us to stay in His Presence and not wander off into darkness. Jesus gave His all, leaving Heaven to be made vulnerable on Earth, to dying a cruel death, for us.
This month from 25th - 27th, is the Jewish feast called Rosh Hashanah. It means when the heavens are opened'. It reminds us of the baptism of Jesus.....
Matthew 3 v 16 - 17: " And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Another time the heavens were open was at His birth. Could it be that His true birth date is at the time of Rosh Hashanah? Another mention of the heavens being open was when Stephen became the first martyr in the Book of Acts. As he was dying He saw Jesus standing to welcome him home.
Stephen was experiencing the true presence of God as he gave his life for the truth. We don't have to be martyrs to be in His presence, just determined to make Him known to those who would never know without us telling them.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You respond to us in the way we treat other people. If we show love to the undeserving, we get a greater awareness of Your love for us. When we see ourselves as lost and without hope until Jesus rescued us, then Your forgiveness and mercy uplifted us. Let us always be humble to enjoy Your presence and grace from now through eternity. In Jesus' name. Amen.