Theme Scripture: Genesis 2:7 & 15, Luke 3:21
In life, the greatest treasure you can have is the presence of God. You can have money, have power, build mansions and even have all the riches of this world but if you don’t have God, all you have amounts to ashes. This is why the first thing that God gave to Adam according to the theme scripture of Genesis, was His presence which is the Garden of Eden.
And before Jesus began His ministry here on earth, He did what was necessary to cultivate the presence of God. He never wanted to get into ministry without God. Jesus humbled himself by submitting to John who babtised Him and after fulfilling all righteousness, lo and behold – the heavens opened and the presence of God rested upon Him!!
You see – in order for you and me to be useful and relevant in the kingdom of God and our ministry here on earth, we need to carry the presence of God. Why? Because according to John 1:4, God is life and without the presence of life, we are dead and cannot carryout the divine purposes of God. We cannot heal the sick, deliver the bound and save the lost like Jesus did because we don’t have the light and the salt in us has lost its taste – basically put, we are useless without God in our lives!!
This is why anything we do that does not involve God never stands. You start a business and within a short time it dries up. Have you ever wondered why members of a particular family suffer from a particlar disease or why every year someone has to die in the family? In most cases, this is due to the absence of God in one’s life, family or business.
For whatever you are doing to stand, God must be involved otherwise your labour will be in vain if it is not God who is building – Psalms 127:1
How to cultivate and attract the presence of God:
1. Walk by faith – Hebrews 11:1 & 6 (It is impossible to please God without faith.)
2. Love to read, listen and meditate upon the word of God – John 1:1
3. Put the word of God into action – do what the word says:
– Pray without ceasing (prayer is a proclamation of how much you need God in your life)
– Exercise humility and obedience (God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble)
– Love your enemies and do good to them
– Don’t give up the habit of gathering together (Hebrews 10:25)
Brethren, the presence of God is very paramount in regards to our Christian walk because in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy. Yokes and chains are broken, the power to overcome temptation is at its best and everything simply comes into divine alighnment in the presence of God.
You see, we have been called to occupy until Christ comes. This means that we should be on top of things as heads and not tails, the first and not the last, lending to many and borrowing from none. This is our position in Christ Jesus and it takes the presence of God to bring this into fruition because it is not by power or earthly intelligence but by the Spirit of God.
If we really want the Great I AM to manifest mightly in our lives like He did for the saints of old, then we should be men and women of faith that love the word of God and put it into action. Above all, we need to hunger for righteousness because blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. May you receive grace to cultivate and attract the presence of the Ancient of Days in your life.