THE DEEP TREASURES OF GOD Walking The Path Into Gods Presence by: Joanne Baumeister Turner Have you ever experienced, maybe during Sunday worship service when everyone it seems connects with God? It may also when you are alone in deep meditation and worship, when you sense this extraordinary peace, almost a euphoria that falls upon you and you are lifted out of yourself? It’s inexpressible, undefinable, and yet you were part of something more than you alone? That is what it is like to be in the presence of God. I have learned through years of devotion, searching, and practice to live most of my life, connected to God’s Presence. While it has been my singular goal to teach others how to live daily Living in Gods Presence is not experiencing glory after glory, it is knowing the Lord is with you like a person at your side at all moments; sensing Him always, as if in the very room but subtle like a shadow. And yet at a heartbeat, I could turn to Him and draw upon His ever present love whenever my spirit would move me, or I needed refreshing at the well of Living Water. Just as one might lean into a loved one in a casual show of trust and love, just to have the other embrace them with arms of strength, so the relationship with God grows familiar; (of course always remembering we are speaking to and receiving from the spirit person of God). After a full and cleansing confession you are ready to focus your thoughts only on Him – on His magnificence, His never-ending loving-kindness, complete submission to Him on the cross and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Prepare your heart and mind with praise and adoration through music. Then allow your heart - your consciousness to be carried away by a piece of special music; focusing on Him and letting the Holy Spirit take you away to His bosom – all thoughts under His submission! Ah, when we enter that place of adoring Him and letting Him just love on us – it is intoxicating soaking up as much of Him as our senses can handle. There is nothing but focus that holds a spirit-filled believer from sensing the warm loving presence of their Savior. And spending your days, hours and moments in His loving Presence does not mean you are on your knees in prayer, speaking every moment with God. Begin to open up your life for Him to participate in everything you do. Invite Him to experience your day with you. When you are speaking with your children, invite God to be there to guide you. If you are spending time with your spouse, invite God to be in the midst and you will be amazed at how beautiful your conversation and how deeply intimate your relationship will grow. When you work with the public, ask Him to guide every move you make through the day and every word you speak. If you are meeting with friends, ask Him to be the guide of your conversation. And when you are alone with Him, let there be constant communion, whether speaking to Him or just basking in the glow and flow of the Holy Spirit within and without. The more you push the world away, the more He is naturally present. You will find as prayer needs arise you naturally just talk to God in conversational prayer. When your thoughts wander to the insignificant, pull them back into focus of Him who is sharing your life. But just as if you did not speak to or hug, or talk with, a person at you side who is there to always love them; if we treat God in that manner, we defeat the purpose for which we were created and we will not benefit from His Wisdom, His Lovingkindness, His Comfort or His Presence. Its not difficult to learn to walk in His Presence once you understand the process of connecting with Him, and yet it takes focus and dedication in order to get to know Him intimately, just as it does any human person. Because we do not use tangible senses to interact (eye contact, physical touch, speaking and hearing audibly etc), we must learn the language of the spirit; experiencing what that spiritual connection feels like. Amidst the cacophony of this crazy world, our spirits cannot learn how to connect with Gods Spirit without spending quiet time alone with Him. This means sacrificing time that you may now devote to TV, the internet, playing a sport – something that is pleasurable - sacrificing that time to spend quality time with Him. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24 Make a small commitment scheduling that time for Him and Him alone, and gradually as He calls you closer you will naturally want to devote more and deeper fellowship. In the beginning, if you find it difficult to focus and you are unable to tangibly connect with the Holy Spirit- dont panic. He is with you, even if you are spiritually unaware of Him. The Holy Spirit may be working out some area of your life that needs spiritual adjustment. In the quiet time you take with Him, as you confess your sins, ask Him to show you any barrier or sin you may not be aware of that may be hindering you. Then just be with Him. That in itself touches the depths of His Heart and whether you are aware of His Presence or not, He is ministering to and working on building that closeness with you. That is what time spent just being together is about whether it is with a human person or a person of divine nature it takes time to bond with each other. It did for me. I did as Brother Lawrence taught; I began to do everything I could to become conscious of God. I tried to remember before every activity - no matter how small, that I was doing it for God alone - dedicating it to Him. I searched for the depths of God in my surroundings - began to become aware of more than the surface of life. This world either teaches us to live on the surface of life, or it teaches ungodly spiritual ways. The first - living on the surface involves becoming immersed in the rat-race of this age; keeping up with everything all over the world at the same time. That is one of the biggest differences in the society that has come of age since World War I. Gradually world-wide information became accessible to the average person - first through print, but has progressed at blinding speed which is today accessible at the touch of a button. If we want to know what is happening on the other side of the world - we Google it and in a heart-beat are there. No such distractions were available to Brother Lawrence or Peter and Paul. Passing on information - news - for instance if someone was sick or died, it took usually days to pass that information on, even if it was only a 20 mile distance, because most travel was on foot or at the fastest, horseback. Today, we hear of a grizzly murder, or casualties of war in cities across the world the hour or day it happens. Before the information age, it was more likely we would never hear of it at all, or if we did - it would be learned about many years later through stories told over and over – many times gaining hear-say that would turn into more of a tale, or folk-lore. Except for very important things, historical events that happened in society which were carefully kept track of, bits of information that we find so tantalizing today were not part of life. Yet even when life was much simpler, Jesus and Paul warned the people of their day to keep free of worry. God wants us to have freedom in our lives, but freedom to live within the parameters He defines; for who knows us better than our creator. And all that is needed to live a happy and free life including the most precious and intimate relationship with God is all taught in the very valuable book - our How To manual that bears His signature. I bought a hardbound book I recently found at the bargain bin in a favorite thrift store written by Max Lucado . His books are always wonderful with stories of life, love, emotion - short stories that can be read one a night or morning. I had read halfway through before I found the prize the bookseller didnt know they had sold for $.99. In the front of the book on a page I wouldnt have opened at all except by chance - or ordained by God, was the signature in ball-point ink of Max Lucado -- I was giddy with delight that I had in hand a signed copy of one of the original print books by one of my favorite authors. Suddenly the book gained new value for me. What if today, when you opened your Bible to study, you opened to a page youd never seen - and on it was written something more valuable than the print that the stories, psalms and parables were written on? What if, on a special parchment page, perfectly preserved and gleaming with the gold leaf in which is was originally written, next to the Seal of the King of Heaven, you were surprised to find Gods signature. Wouldnt it somehow immediately raise its value in your eyes? It is written by the Living Word, you know. Think about it. “As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father. Serve him wholeheartedly and with desire in your being; for Adonai searches all hearts and understands all the inclinations of people’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let himself be found by you; but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.1 Chronicles 28:9
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 22:23:06 +0000
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