Encountering God through the Receiving of His Presence..Craig Denison Ministries

 

Encountering God through the Receiving of His Presence

 Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

Having consistent and transformational encounters with God while on earth is meant to be foundational to the Christian life. Our God has not left us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we’ve been filled with the very Spirit of God who longs to reveal to us daily the nearness and love of our heavenly Father. We are never alone. There is nowhere we can flee from the presence of our God. May this week be filled with transformational encounters with the living God as we learn what it is to seek the face of the one who has formed us, knows us, and loves us unconditionally.

Scripture:“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7

Devotional:

God’s presence has been made fully available to us by the sacrifice of Jesus, our pure and spotless Lamb. When we become Christians we are made totally new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are now able to fellowship with the presence of God in a closer and more intimate way than any people of God before the coming of Christ. We can now have God himself dwelling within us, his very Spirit fellowshipping with ours.

Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” To be filled with the Spirit is not a suggestion, it is a command. We as believers must continually be filled with the Spirit in order to access the fullness of relationship and life available to us on this earth. We need God’s presence as sojourners on this earth. We need God’s Spirit dwelling within us to live out the wonderful, life-giving commands of Scripture. We need God’s Spirit to experience the fullness of God’s presence available to us through the powerful sacrifice of Jesus.

You see, God’s presence is already here. Psalm 139:7-12 says,

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

You don’t have to beg for an experience with God. He doesn’t have to come from on high to the earth in order for you to encounter him. All that we have to do is quiet our hearts, align ourselves with the truth that he is here and available to us, and receive him. God never forces himself upon us. He never makes us have any part of him. But once we open our hearts to him and ask to encounter him, he is willing and able to fill us with his glorious presence. He is ready to make us aware of just how near to us he has always been—that he is closer than the very air we breathe.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” May you come to know to greater levels the fullness of joy and pleasure available to you in the presence of your living and active God. May you grow in your awareness of the nearness and unconditional love of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you. May you receive God’s presence throughout your day today and encounter the joy of the God who would lay down his own life simply for you to know him.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the nearness of God’s presence. Allow Scripture to fill you with the desire and faith to encounter God today.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:7-12

“And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:52

2. Take a minute to quiet your heart and mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you receive God’s presence. Take note of any desires you have as to whether you should sit quietly, worship, read, or pray. Follow whatever desire you have that will lead you into an encounter with God.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

3. Open your heart and simply receive the presence of the God who already dwells within you. Ask the Holy Spirit to make his presence known to you. Take time to rest in an encounter with God’s love and affection over you.

“All were made to drink of one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

In his book The Furious Longing of God, Brennan Manning describes a method of prayer that has helped me greatly in learning what it is to enter into God’s presence. He says to pray this simple prayer: “Abba, I belong to you.” As you inhale, pray the word “Abba.” As you exhale, pray, “I belong to you.” This idea of breathing and praying is an incredible depiction of what it is to receive the presence of God. He is nearer to us than the very breath that fills our lungs, and he will always respond to our desire to be filled with him. May this practice of God’s presence fill you with a greater awareness of how real and near your God is to you today.

Extended Reading: Psalm 16

5 Things To Remember When Conversations Turn Into Conflict..LYSA TERKEURST

 5 Things To Remember When Conversations Turn Into Conflict

LYSA TERKEURST 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6 (NIV) 

When I find myself in a conflict, I want to find the right words to help get to the other side. But that isn’t always possible.

While talking is good, sometimes the conversation starts running in a circle, and there aren’t any productive words left to say. When this happens, it can make a girl feel like giving up. But rather than give up, I’ve learned that spending time getting quiet before the Lord can really be the best remedy for tangled situations.

Taking a step back from all the emotion, frustration and exhaustion to sit quietly with Jesus will do more to untangle a mess than anything else I’ve ever found.

Do you ever feel like relationships are hard to navigate? Maybe today you find yourself trying to figure out a situation that’s complicated, messy and unpredictable. If so, here are five beautiful things I’ve found when I stop trying to fix it all and instead get quiet with God:

1. We can feel safe enough to humble ourselves.

In the heat of a mess, the last thing I want to do is get humble. I want to overexplain and prove my point. But I’m learning I have to step out of the battle and humbly ask God to speak truth to my heart for things to start to make sense. Never have I had a relationship issue where I didn’t contribute at least something to the problem. Usually, I can only see this something in the quiet.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand …” (1 Peter 5:6)

2. God will lift us up to a more rational place.

When we are in the heat of a tangled relationship, our emotions can drag us down into a pit of hopelessness. The only way out of the pit is to make the choice to stop digging deeper and turn to God for a solution.

“ … that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

3. Anxiety gives way to progress.

We can pour out our anxious hearts to Jesus, who loves us right where we are, how we are. And because of His love, we can feel safe enough to admit humbly that we need Jesus to work on us. Trying to fix another person will only add to our anxiety. Letting Jesus work on us is where real progress can happen.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV)

4. We see our real enemy isn’t the person with whom we’re in conflict.

The truth is, we have an enemy, and it’s not each other. Satan’s influence on me and the person offending me is the real culprit. I can’t realize this in the heat of the moment. But in the quiet, I become alert and can gain a strategy for acting and reacting in a more self-controlled manner.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith …” (1 Peter 5:8-9, NIV)

5. We can rest assured God will use this conflict for good — no matter how it turns out.

If I make the effort to handle this conflict well, I can be freed from the pressure to make everything turn out rosy. Sometimes relationships grow stronger through conflict. But other times, relationships end because of conflict. Because I can’t control the other person, I must keep focusing on the good God is working out in me through this and leave the outcome with Him.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:10-11, NIV)

In the end, this struggle can be used by God to make me stronger and more capable in my relationships. If I am humble enough to receive from Him in the quiet what He wants to teach me through this, I can rest assured with whatever the outcome is.

Dear Lord, help me stop trying to figure out this situation and just sit in the quiet with You for a while. God, humble me. Show me Your steps toward restoration. Or show me Your steps toward a healthy parting. Take my anxiety and replace it with Your peace, wisdom and security. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Tragedy of a Wasted Life..Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Tragedy of a Wasted Life

Dr. Charles Stanley

Luke 12:15-21

Death is inevitable, but at times it surprises us. Perhaps you know someone who died unexpectedly.

Today's parable is a warning about such situations. It tells of a man who acquired comfort and wealth but thought only of his time on earth. Death came without warning, and he could take nothing with him. God called him a fool for living focused on "self."

Though rich in the world's eyes, the man had no relationship with God and hadn't invested anything in Christ's kingdom. All the treasures he stored here were worthless once he died. What's worse, without Jesus, he would be separated from God forever. What a tragic waste of life.

As I think about this person's choices, two questions come to mind that are important for all of us to contemplate. First, if you were to die today, would you go to heaven? Salvation is a free gift for those who trust in Jesus as the acceptable sacrifice for our sin. He is the only way--no excuses or even sincere beliefs in other "ways" will work. And Jesus promises that when believers die, they immediately find themselves in His presence (2 Cor. 5:6).

Second, what is your life accomplishing? Are you driven by selfish purposes, storing security and wealth for yourself? Or is your motivation to further God's kingdom?

Like the man in this parable, we don't know when we will die. We do know, however, that death is inescapable. Though dying is an unpleasant topic, eternity is a long time and worthy of our attention. It's definitely a wise investment to make sure of your salvation and to invest in God's kingdom.

Remember the Sabbath Day by Keeping it Holy..Betsy de Cruz

 Remember the Sabbath Day by Keeping it Holy

By Betsy de Cruz

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” -  Genesis 2:2-3

Do you ever start your week on Monday even more tired than you were the Friday before? Many of us dread Mondays not only because it’s hard to get back into the swing of work after a break, but also because we exhaust ourselves all weekend long.

God must have known our “Do It All” tendency when He chose to rest.

Something tells me the Glorious Almighty God didn’t need to rest. But He knew we would. So he set a pattern from the beginning of creation: six days of work, followed by a day of rest. He blessed this day and made it holy. Later in Exodus 20:8-11, he made this pattern into a command:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The word “Sabbath” is related to a Hebrew root that means “cease” or “stop.” God commanded His people to cease from their labor, so they could rest, refresh, and refuel. He had set His people free from slavery in Egypt. As children of God, they were no longer bound to work non-stop like slaves. God gave them the gift of rest, a day to cease from working and to honor Him. In the Old Testament, Jews followed the pattern of setting apart the seventh day to keep it holy.

Most Bible scholars agree that today God also desires to give his children that same gift of rest, and Christians all around the world now observe the first day of the week, Sunday, as a day to honor God. There’s no biblical basis for changing it from the seventh day to the first, but scholars cite the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day as a possible reason for this change observed in the New Testament.

Since God included the Sabbath in the 10 Commandments, He must have thought it was important. Of course today we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by following commandments. However, as people who want to honor and obey God, we still accept these 10 commands as a guide for how God wants us to live.

When we set aside Sundays for rest and worship, we follow the healthy rhythm God established for us, and we can start a new week on Monday refreshed instead of exhausted. If your job requires you to work on Sunday, ask the Lord for creativity and discipline to set aside another Sabbath time during your week. Whether our Sabbath is Sunday or another day, we can trust God to bless our time of rest and make us effective when we return work.

A Prayer for the Teachers, Mamas, and Anyone Who Wants to Give Up..Maggie Meadows Cooper

 A Prayer for the Teachers, Mamas, and Anyone Who Wants to Give Up

By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

"Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up." - Galatians 6:9

I received a letter from a former student a few weeks ago. It made my heart smile because of the precious one it was from. He was a handful. Smart as a whip, but a challenge many days. Listening comprehension, imagination, creativity, math...he knocked it out of the park. But reading and his behavior were another story. He came in tired most days, and I let him nap for short periods when he needed to. His mom worked late at a couple of different jobs, and he said he would wait up for her a lot. Sometimes sleep and a hug are what matter most. I recalled these memories as I read his letter and smiled. But my eyes filled with tears when I read these words, "I appreciate you never giving up on me." 

Wow. I didn't. I haven't. And I won’t. But the truth is, there were a lot of days I might have wanted to. He was not the only challenging student I had in that class. He was not the only one with not enough sleep, and there were days I was just plain weary. Weary of it all. Teaching all day only to come home to my own kids, husband, housework, cooking, and then more papers to grade later is exhausting.

Every teacher knows what I'm talking about (the stories we could tell). Every mama knows what I'm talking about (yep, stories here too). And honestly, anyone who has ever chosen to keep on believing when everything inside you says it's time to give up, knows what I'm talking about. 

There are students you feel like you will never reach. There are children who, it seems, will never learn to follow directions. There are relationships and jobs and dreams that seem to be dead ends. Sometimes it looks like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

I know all of that. But I also know that the Lord places people and situations and tasks in our lives for His purposes, no matter how challenging. When we seek His will and His plan above our own, sometimes we end up in places we might not necessarily want to be. I know, I've been there. But I know He will give us strength to keep pushing anyway, and here are a few reasons why I believe it's worth it:

1. There will be a harvest...if we do not give up.

"Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up." - Galatians 6:9

This verse sits on my desk at work and hangs in my home. It is an everyday reminder. When I am tired and frustrated and out of ideas...do not grow weary. When I say I can't wait one more day because "it's" never going to happen...at the proper time you will reap a harvest. When I am ready to throw in the towel...if you do not give up. 

We may never get recognition for the time we put in. We may never be noticed and applauded by the crowd. We may never even receive a "thank you" for our efforts. But, there is One who sees us. And He matters most.

2. We are to do everything with all our hearts... for the Lord.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people." - Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do. Teaching, changing diapers, grading papers, cooking dinner, going to work, driving carpool, paying bills, disciplining, whatever it is...do it with all your heart.

And do it for the Lord...not people. That is so stinkin' hard! Because the Lord isn't visible. It doesn't feel like He's right there beside me all the time. And people...are people. They are selfish and demanding and difficult a lot of times. 

But this isn't really given as a choice. On the days you feel like it. If you have time and it doesn't interrupt your plans. Nope. As those who love Jesus, we are to work at whatever we do, with all our heart, for the Lord. Period.

3. And most importantly, Jesus hasn't given up on us... so we shouldn’t give up on others.

"I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway...Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7:18, 24-25 

I mess up every day. Every. Single. Day. And it's not looking any better for tomorrow. I want to do what's right.  I want to be like Jesus. But somewhere between my brain and my mouth and my actions and my heart...some signals get crossed. Words come out wrong. My selfish nature takes over. I work for me instead of others.  I complain. It is not pretty some days. 

But, thanks be to God, there is one who can save me from this life... Jesus. And because He forgives me, loves me, gives mercy and grace to me on my worst of days... I will try my hardest to do the same for others. 

Let's pray:

Dear Jesus,
I am so weary and honestly, ready to give up some days. Please place people in my life to encourage me and point me to you as I seek to love others as you do. Help me choose to be hopeful, faithful, and persistent in seeking you every day, but especially on the hard days. Guide my steps and allow me to see that my hard work is not in vain. Help me to give grace and mercy...to myself and others...as you give it freely to me. Thank you for all you have done and all you are going to do.  

In Your Mighty Name,
Amen.

Hope When You Feel Spiritually Stumped..Laura Bailey

 Hope When You Feel Spiritually Stumped

By Laura Bailey

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV

My children can ask some seriously tough questions. Sometimes it’s hard because the answer is straightforward, but the truth is difficult to comprehend. Other times, there isn’t a clear explanation; God didn’t choose to reveal it to us in Scripture. While driving in the car, my five-year-old announced she had a question.

“Mom, the Devil was an angel, right?”  
Yes, the devil was a fallen angel, Lucifer.
“Well, if God knew that the devil was going to sin and cause so many problems, why did He create the devil in the first place?”
{crickets}

Have you ever been spiritually stumped? I was that day! Let me encourage you with these four tips if you've ever felt that way.

1. Pray
It seems like the rote Sunday School answer, but it’s the best thing we can do for ourselves and our children. There will be many times when we don’t have the answers to their questions, and life seems unfair or overwhelming. God doesn’t promise to answer all of our prayers this side of eternity, but we do know that He listens, loves us, and wants us to bring our cares to Him ( 1 Peter 5:7). 

2. Remember God’s Character
“I don’t know why, but I do know that God is…,” and I remind myself of one of His characteristics. When faced with uncertainty or struggling to understand, cling to the attributes of God. He is faithful, unchanging, eternal, just, merciful, forgiving, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent– to name a few. He is the God of the Universe, who created you to be in fellowship with Him, and gave His only son so that we can have eternal life! No, we can’t figure out God and don’t have all the answers. But, we have the glorious gift of the Scriptures and the help of the Holy Spirit.

3. Seek Wisdom over Knowledge
Knowledge is acquired by gathering information; wisdom is the ability to use that knowledge effectively. Reading your Bible, memorizing Scripture, and filling your mind with biblical insights are essential, but we must know how to apply these Truths properly. When you feel spiritually stumped, pray that the Holy Spirit will guide and direct you in your response.

4. It’s okay to say I don’t know.
As a parent, and even in my adult relationships, I want to have all the answers. It pains me to utter those three little words, “ I don’t know.” Pridefully, I want to be able to give the correct response, fix all the problems, and provide all the solutions. But, in our weakness, we can point to the One who can provide all the answers. God is the ultimate answer to every need or longing we experience. It’s okay to show your humanity, lay your guard to be perfect, and use each opportunity to share the need for a personal relationship with Christ. 

When God gives the commandment in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, he doesn’t require perfection but a daily commitment to teaching the next generation about Him. We make the most of every opportunity to point our children to Christ.

Have a big decision? We pray about it. Someone in our church is sick? We take them food. Did mom lose her temper? We ask for forgiveness. 

As we seek to show our children how to apply God’s timeless truths to their lives, we must study and meditate on God’s Word. It is a daily commitment, a life-long endeavor, but taking time to teach your children ( and others in your sphere of influence) about Christ, is the most important job you will do this side of eternity. 

Intersecting Faith and Life: 
Make a plan to incorporate daily discipleship in your home. Think about your day. Are there opportunities for you to talk about Jesus with your children? What about in the car on the way to school? Or maybe during dinner? 

Further Reading:

• John 16:13
• Romans 15:14