Have you ever been in a place, where you felt God’s presence intensely? This is no ordinary encounter. Your heart is beating, your mind is fully alert and possibly your body physically experiences unusual sensations. Maybe at a church service, or an encounter retreat, in your cell group or even at home, a supernatural encounter with God makes you incredibly aware of his presence.
Joseph was on the run from his brother Isaac. En-route to Haran, he stopped in Bethel for a bit of respite. He receives a dream featuring angels and a ladder whose top reached the heavens, and bottom touched the earth. The angels were climbing and ascending the ladder, as if to indicate a divine passageway from heaven to earth. Joseph wakes up startled, but also ecstatic, uttering this phrase “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, and I was not a aware of it”.
The presence of the Lord as encountered episodically often in the Old Testament, as God manifested himself sovereignely to his people. This would be a time for his people to experience his presence to fulfill a task, be encouraged, or to give a prophetic message. Things however changed in the New Testament. Jesus promised his disciples that upon his passage to heaven, he would send them another helper, this was the Holy Spirit. This same spirit was thus received after Jesus death and resurrection by those who committed their life to him in salvation. Further, the Holy Spirit was given in a deeper sense at Pentecost in Acts 2, and ensuing in a similar fashion. This Holy Spirit is nothing other than God’s presence.
As a New Testament believer you have God’s presence, abiding not just around you as Jacob encountered at Bethel, but inside you. You do not need to have a special retreat or church camp meeting to experience the Holy Spirit. He abides with you, ready to fellowship with you as you give him audience and approach him with a heart of faith. Jacob was unaware of God’s presence. Do you find yourself like Jacob? Is God inside of you, yet your life experiences are often devoid of this special relationship? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit, possessing the gift of tongues, yet you struggle to experience his presence? How do we become more aware of God’s presence?
I believe it begins with our understanding of his presence, despite our sensory perception. Our belief in the Holy Spirit must simply be by faith as revealed in the word of God. This faith comes as you spend time in his word reflecting deeply on the reality of the Holy Spirit in you. But to be truly aware of his presence requires you to bring this spiritual reality to your consciousness. Often times I would say audibly to myself “God is with me”, “the Holy Spirit is in me”. As I verbalize the spiritual reality several times, consistently over a period of time, I begin to be keenly aware of God’s presence.
Engaging in this activity is called practicing his presence. You intentionally practice being aware of the Holy Spirit regularly, fostering in you God’s heart and desires. As you engage in this process you will find your capacity to hear and obey God’s thoughts are heightened. He makes your energy reserve increase, your resiliency to sin stronger, your joy for the lord fuller, and your compassion for the hurting deepened, as he partners with you in living out his kingdom as a light in this dark world.
May you continue to be aware of his presence, that God’s potential for your life be fully maximized.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Mercy and Justice
The citizens of Bethel were about to embark upon an annual fast. Before commencing, they inquired of the prophet Zechariah, as to God’s will concerning the fast. The answer they received was unexpected. One would have thought God would cheer them as they fasted, yet the opposite. They were rebuked. God actually told them not to fast. Can you imagine? You are about to worship God, read your word, go without food like Jesus did, but all of a sudden you get a glaringly clear signal from God to defer your spiritual activities.
Digging deeper we realize God was not against fasting. But in this situation, the people had overdone fasting. According to Isaiah 58, true fasting must result in acts of mercy and kindness to the less fortunate. Thus Zechariah corroborated Isaiah’s position when he indicted the people for choosing to fast. See, they had forgotten about works of mercy and justice for the poor. Mercy simply put is acts of kindness to help the oppressed, while justice is effecting change at the institutional level, such as in changing policies, in courts, etc.
Israel was in a time of prosperity. They had been freed from bondage to Assyria, Babylon and Persia. It was their time to rebuild temple and home. Thus they focused on industry, personal wealth attainment, home renovations, and maybe even temple duties. Yet they were forgetting the most important thing. For God, the hallmark of blessing, was that the poor would be catered to, and justice be served in their society.
God declared to Zechariah that he wanted to pour his spirit on the land, and restore Israel to glory. Yet this vision of the Lord would be inhibited if he could not trust his poor in their hands.
Maybe you are limited in a capacity, and wondering why? Or perhaps your clarity is blurring in areas of career, personal wealth and self-development goals. Why don’t you measure yourself up against the gauge of Zechariah “And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.” Zechariah 7:9-10
As a ministry, I believe we are in a similar season as the inhabitants of Bethel, Israel. We have just fasted and sought God. The next imperative is to take up the challenge and care for the less fortunate. Ask God to lead you in this period as to how to serve others. It might be in small ways such as talking to a homeless person, volunteering at a homework club, or larger ways such as advocating for injustice at a local town hall meeting. Remember, that in as much as you do to the least of these, you do unto him.
May you be blessed, by blessing others.
Digging deeper we realize God was not against fasting. But in this situation, the people had overdone fasting. According to Isaiah 58, true fasting must result in acts of mercy and kindness to the less fortunate. Thus Zechariah corroborated Isaiah’s position when he indicted the people for choosing to fast. See, they had forgotten about works of mercy and justice for the poor. Mercy simply put is acts of kindness to help the oppressed, while justice is effecting change at the institutional level, such as in changing policies, in courts, etc.
Israel was in a time of prosperity. They had been freed from bondage to Assyria, Babylon and Persia. It was their time to rebuild temple and home. Thus they focused on industry, personal wealth attainment, home renovations, and maybe even temple duties. Yet they were forgetting the most important thing. For God, the hallmark of blessing, was that the poor would be catered to, and justice be served in their society.
God declared to Zechariah that he wanted to pour his spirit on the land, and restore Israel to glory. Yet this vision of the Lord would be inhibited if he could not trust his poor in their hands.
Maybe you are limited in a capacity, and wondering why? Or perhaps your clarity is blurring in areas of career, personal wealth and self-development goals. Why don’t you measure yourself up against the gauge of Zechariah “And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.” Zechariah 7:9-10
As a ministry, I believe we are in a similar season as the inhabitants of Bethel, Israel. We have just fasted and sought God. The next imperative is to take up the challenge and care for the less fortunate. Ask God to lead you in this period as to how to serve others. It might be in small ways such as talking to a homeless person, volunteering at a homework club, or larger ways such as advocating for injustice at a local town hall meeting. Remember, that in as much as you do to the least of these, you do unto him.
May you be blessed, by blessing others.
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