God's Presence On Earth
Exodus, 1 Kings, John
Message #7
We’re following the text of Francis Chan’s book, “Multiply.” I’d encourage you to read the book along with this study and consider using this series and book to disciple others allowing God to unveil to them his perfect Plan of Redemption: From Genesis to Revelation.
Today’s subject may ultimately be the most important subject in the Bible.
The Presence of God.
Does anything matter more than God’s presence with us? Really…we have to wrestle with this. Have we reached the point where we cry out to God, “All that’s important to me is that you are with me”? “Not what you do for me, Lord, but you, personally. I can’t go on; I can’t move from this spot without knowing that you are actually with me.” Have we realized that what we need most is to be continually in God’s presence, God leading us and guiding us through this world and into an eternity in his presence?
Maybe we started out just wanting our salvation ticket punch so we could get to heaven and avoid hell. And then, maybe, we saw God as our great genie whose job was to fix everything in our lives. But then (prayerfully), we began to truly seek him. We set out to truly know him. We fully surrendered to him. And if we have, or if we will to that, I am confident we will get to the point where we say… Lord God, I just need you!!! I need to know you are with me. I need to know you are leading and guiding me. That’s all I need. I don’t need stuff from you, God – I need you. I need your presence, and nothing else will do.
In the perfect world God created, Adam and Eve lived in the actual presence of God in perfect peace with God and each other until The Fall, and sin changed everything. (Genesis 3.) The first thing sin did was cause separation from God. Adam and Eve immediately hid from God, and then God had to expel them from his presence. And since that day, nothing has been more important than Mankind being restored to God’s presence.
And so, God began to make covenants to restore Mankind to himself – to his presence. God made a covenant promise to Noah (Genesis 9) and then the big one-sided covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12 and following). And at the Exodus, God called out his own people who were to be marked by his presence. It was to be the presence of God that set Israel apart from all other nations. God was with them, which (eventually) the Pharaoh in Egypt understood very clearly (by Exodus 14).
But then, God had to show his people what it meant for them to be his people and live in his presence. And so came the revelation of God on Mt. Sinai and the covenant of the Law through Moses (Exodus 19 and following). And with that covenant came the process of sacrifice and atonement would be the way God would be able to dwell in the midst of a sinful people.
And through the process of sacrifice and atonement came the Tabernacle (starting in Exodus 25). The Tabernacle was the first place God created for his presence to dwell with his people. At the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The lid of the Ark was called the Mercy Seat, and between the Cherubim dwelt the Shekinah Glory of God – the very presence of God on earth. In a tangible way, the Tabernacle was God’s “dwelling place” on earth to be with his people.
Now, God is omnipresent, but we’re talking about the tangible presence of God’s glory dwelling with his people. God had brought his people to the place that he could again (in a limited way) dwell with them. God was systematically restoring Mankind to his presence.
However, right at the beginning, God’s people almost lost the most important aspect of being God’s people (God’s presence). Moses was on Mt. Sinai, and God was giving him the Law.
The first two commands God himself wrote for Moses were:
1). You shall have no other gods before me
2). You shall not worship any idol
And as Moses returned to the camp of Israel, he found Israel worshipping a golden calf they had made themselves. While God was revealing his holiness and commandments, his people were already busy breaking them.
God’s response was devastating. God had made it clear if his people would obey his commands, he would be their God, and he would always be with them. But if they rebelled and turned against God, there would be consequences. And they had already turned against God in a very big way, and they had to face the consequences.
First, God had three thousand men (the instigators) killed as a direct consequence of their sin. But something far worse than that – almost happened. When God sent Israel on from Mt. Sinai, here’s what he said.
Exodus 33:1–3 (ESV)
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’
2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
God’s promise to give the land to Israel was unconditional. But his presence being with them was conditional. And they learned that very clearly, right up front, God said I’m going to give you the land because I promised I would, but because of your rebellion, I’m not going with you. I’ll send an angel, but my presence (my glory) will not be with you.
Now, right here, we need a little honesty time with God – really, truly, let’s get honest with ourselves. If God said to you, I’ll give you the blessings, but I will not personally be with you; you’ll have the circumstances right, but you won’t have me. You’ll have my blessing, but you won’t have my presence. We need to truly allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us… would we be just fine if God would bless us but remove his presence from us? God was offering to bless Israel apart from a relationship with him, and they had to determine how important God’s presence was.
Israel was at a crucial turning point, just as you might be. But Moses knew the presence of God was everything. As Exodus 33 continues, the people go into mourning in verse 4 and then we’re reminded of the incredible significance of God’s presence, from verses 7-11. Then, starting in verse 12, Moses recounts what was probably a very “touchy” conversation with God, the core of which is in the following verses from Exodus 33.
Exodus 33:15–17 (NLT)
15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.
16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”
17 (& so) The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
Moses would not take God’s blessings without God’s presence. Not for himself and not for God’s people. Moses knew it would be better to stay at Mt. Sinai than get to the Promised Land without God’s presence. And God acknowledged the prayer of Moses to go with him, but Moses needed confirmation… Moses needed to know God was with him and the people of Israel, and in the next verse, Moses makes the ultimate request of God.
Exodus 33:18 (ESV)
18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
And that verse leads into the famous text of God showing Moses as much of his glory as Moses could handle.
And God did go with Israel into the Promised Land, and his presence went with the Tabernacle as they moved from place to place. And five hundred years later, after David became King of Israel, his son Solomon would build the Temple in Jerusalem. It took Solomon seven years and massive laborers and supplies to build the Temple. And when the Temple was dedicated, God’s presence filled the Temple with even more power than when God’s presence filled the Tabernacle.
Let’s look at 1 Kings chapter 8.
1 Kings 8:6-11 (ESV)
6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house (Temple), in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.
7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
. . .
10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
Solomon’s Temple was an incredible structure, well-known to all the nations of the world, and those nations knew the God of Heaven was dwelling with his people there.
Let me quote Francis Chan (Multiply)
The kingdom of Israel, with the elaborate temple in its midst to house the presence of God, was a glimpse of what the world ought to be. It was a picture of God’s dwelling in the midst of His earth, ruling over and blessing His people.
The Temple became what the Tabernacle had started out to be – the place where God dwelt among his people on earth, and it was a glimpse, a picture, of one day God permanently dwelling with his people.
Next, Solomon’s prayer to dedicate the Temple is incredible, and you really should read it carefully (1 Kings 8:22 and following). And right after the incredible dedication of the Temple by Solomon, 1 Kings 9 says,
1 Kings 9:1–2 (ESV)
1 As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all that Solomon desired to build,
2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time . . .
And in the rest of 1 Kings 9, the Lord gives Solomon a two-sided promise. First, God promises to bless Solomon greatly if Solomon will walk with God and keep God’s laws. And then (verse 6), God warns Solomon that if he or Israel would turn their backs on God…
God would remove his presence from the Temple.
God would remove Israel from the land, and
God would allow the Temple to be utterly destroyed.
Next to 1 Kings 9, write Ezekiel 10 because that is when God made good on this warning. Israel repeatedly turned their back on God, and God did remove his presence from the Temple, and God did remove Israel from the land, and God did allow the Temple to be utterly destroyed.
However, the Temple was not the permanent dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, just like the Tabernacle had not been the permanent dwelling place of God’s presence on earth. So…what was God’s plan for his ultimate dwelling place on earth? Once again, God’s final answer is… Jesus!
Turn to John Chapter 1. John starts his gospel at the real beginning.
John 1:1 (ESV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The implication here is in the beginning the WORD was already there. The Greek for “The Word” is LOGOS, literally “God in Expression.” John is writing about Jesus Christ, and he makes it clear Jesus Christ is God in Expression Come to Earth. And here it is – here’s the unmistakable connection in God’s Plan of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation.
John 1:14 (ESV)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .
Guess what? That word dwelt is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for Tabernacle!!! God had come to Tabernacle among us in the Person of Jesus Christ. And then the remainder of that verse says,
John 1:14 (ESV)
14 . . . , and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The glory of God in the original Tabernacle was not the ultimate dwelling place of God with his people on earth. The glory of God in the Temple was not the ultimate dwelling place of God with his people on earth. In the Person of Jesus Christ is the ultimate dwelling place of God with his people on earth. IN Jesus Christ, through his sacrifice and victory on the Cross the problem of sin separating us from the presence of God has been dealt with once and for all – Tetelestai!
Now, in the Person of Jesus Christ, the glory of God is dwelling on earth with hid people. But wait, there’s more. In John 14, Jesus promised us he would not leave us orphans.
John 14:18–19 (ESV)
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Jesus is actually talking here about the work of the Holy Spirit, who is fully God. Now, look at the verses just prior.
John 14:16–17 (ESV)
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
The title “Another Helper” for the Holy Spirit here is Allos Parakletos. It means literally, “One of the same kind and quality called alongside to help.” The Holy Spirit IS fully God, and at the end of verse 17, Jesus says, for he dwells with you and will be in you. And since Acts Chapter 2 (the Day of Pentecost), the Holy Spirit has filled every true believer, making us what the New Testament calls “The Body of Christ.”
No Tabernacle for God’s presence to dwell in
No Temple for God’s presence to dwell in
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? . . .
1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
And speaking of the Church,
Ephesians 2:20–21 (NLT)
20 Together, we are his house . . . And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Listen carefully, please. Jesus Christ is the ultimate presence of God on earth, and if you belong to Jesus today, then as part of the Body of Christ on earth, you are actually the dwelling place of the Presence of God. That is out of control!!!
And one day, when Jesus returns to reclaim this earth as his own, the whole earth will be filled with the full glory of God. We and this earth, and all of creation will be returned to how God originally created it in the Garden. We recently spent five messages in Revelation looking at the reality of us living in God’s full presence in heaven for eternity.
The Most Important Point (MIP): From the beginning, life with God has been all about his presence being with his people.
It’s God’s presence with you that distinguishes you as his own.
It’s God’s presence with you that is your ultimate victory.
As a Christian, there is only one thing you cannot do without and that is God’s presence.
Abounding, abasing, having plenty, suffering need – you can face any circumstance with God’s presence.
We must develop the Moses attitude. When God told him to go from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land in Exodus 33, Moses said to God: “If you don’t go personally with me, God, I can’t move.” Even if you send an angel with me, I still need your presence, and if you promise me your blessings without your presence, I don’t want it! I want you; I need you; I can’t move without knowing that you are with me.
If you have never known God’s presence in your life, you can begin to know him today. Cry out to him – ask him to come into your life and fill you with his presence.
And if you are a Christian today… and you spend more time asking God for stuff over his presence, rethink your prayers. What we all need is the full, real, active presence of God in our lives. Jesus Christ came and died to give us his life, his peace, his power, his victory…
But none of that comes without the active presence of God in your life. Say with Moses, God, I am not leaving this place unless I know you are with me!
Today’s subject may ultimately be the most important subject in the Bible.
The Presence of God.
Does anything matter more than God’s presence with us? Really…we have to wrestle with this. Have we reached the point where we cry out to God, “All that’s important to me is that you are with me”? “Not what you do for me, Lord, but you, personally. I can’t go on; I can’t move from this spot without knowing that you are actually with me.” Have we realized that what we need most is to be continually in God’s presence, God leading us and guiding us through this world and into an eternity in his presence?
Maybe we started out just wanting our salvation ticket punch so we could get to heaven and avoid hell. And then, maybe, we saw God as our great genie whose job was to fix everything in our lives. But then (prayerfully), we began to truly seek him. We set out to truly know him. We fully surrendered to him. And if we have, or if we will to that, I am confident we will get to the point where we say… Lord God, I just need you!!! I need to know you are with me. I need to know you are leading and guiding me. That’s all I need. I don’t need stuff from you, God – I need you. I need your presence, and nothing else will do.
In the perfect world God created, Adam and Eve lived in the actual presence of God in perfect peace with God and each other until The Fall, and sin changed everything. (Genesis 3.) The first thing sin did was cause separation from God. Adam and Eve immediately hid from God, and then God had to expel them from his presence. And since that day, nothing has been more important than Mankind being restored to God’s presence.
And so, God began to make covenants to restore Mankind to himself – to his presence. God made a covenant promise to Noah (Genesis 9) and then the big one-sided covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12 and following). And at the Exodus, God called out his own people who were to be marked by his presence. It was to be the presence of God that set Israel apart from all other nations. God was with them, which (eventually) the Pharaoh in Egypt understood very clearly (by Exodus 14).
But then, God had to show his people what it meant for them to be his people and live in his presence. And so came the revelation of God on Mt. Sinai and the covenant of the Law through Moses (Exodus 19 and following). And with that covenant came the process of sacrifice and atonement would be the way God would be able to dwell in the midst of a sinful people.
And through the process of sacrifice and atonement came the Tabernacle (starting in Exodus 25). The Tabernacle was the first place God created for his presence to dwell with his people. At the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The lid of the Ark was called the Mercy Seat, and between the Cherubim dwelt the Shekinah Glory of God – the very presence of God on earth. In a tangible way, the Tabernacle was God’s “dwelling place” on earth to be with his people.
Now, God is omnipresent, but we’re talking about the tangible presence of God’s glory dwelling with his people. God had brought his people to the place that he could again (in a limited way) dwell with them. God was systematically restoring Mankind to his presence.
However, right at the beginning, God’s people almost lost the most important aspect of being God’s people (God’s presence). Moses was on Mt. Sinai, and God was giving him the Law.
The first two commands God himself wrote for Moses were:
1). You shall have no other gods before me
2). You shall not worship any idol
And as Moses returned to the camp of Israel, he found Israel worshipping a golden calf they had made themselves. While God was revealing his holiness and commandments, his people were already busy breaking them.
God’s response was devastating. God had made it clear if his people would obey his commands, he would be their God, and he would always be with them. But if they rebelled and turned against God, there would be consequences. And they had already turned against God in a very big way, and they had to face the consequences.
First, God had three thousand men (the instigators) killed as a direct consequence of their sin. But something far worse than that – almost happened. When God sent Israel on from Mt. Sinai, here’s what he said.
Exodus 33:1–3 (ESV)
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’
2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
God’s promise to give the land to Israel was unconditional. But his presence being with them was conditional. And they learned that very clearly, right up front, God said I’m going to give you the land because I promised I would, but because of your rebellion, I’m not going with you. I’ll send an angel, but my presence (my glory) will not be with you.
Now, right here, we need a little honesty time with God – really, truly, let’s get honest with ourselves. If God said to you, I’ll give you the blessings, but I will not personally be with you; you’ll have the circumstances right, but you won’t have me. You’ll have my blessing, but you won’t have my presence. We need to truly allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us… would we be just fine if God would bless us but remove his presence from us? God was offering to bless Israel apart from a relationship with him, and they had to determine how important God’s presence was.
Israel was at a crucial turning point, just as you might be. But Moses knew the presence of God was everything. As Exodus 33 continues, the people go into mourning in verse 4 and then we’re reminded of the incredible significance of God’s presence, from verses 7-11. Then, starting in verse 12, Moses recounts what was probably a very “touchy” conversation with God, the core of which is in the following verses from Exodus 33.
Exodus 33:15–17 (NLT)
15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.
16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”
17 (& so) The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
Moses would not take God’s blessings without God’s presence. Not for himself and not for God’s people. Moses knew it would be better to stay at Mt. Sinai than get to the Promised Land without God’s presence. And God acknowledged the prayer of Moses to go with him, but Moses needed confirmation… Moses needed to know God was with him and the people of Israel, and in the next verse, Moses makes the ultimate request of God.
Exodus 33:18 (ESV)
18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
And that verse leads into the famous text of God showing Moses as much of his glory as Moses could handle.
And God did go with Israel into the Promised Land, and his presence went with the Tabernacle as they moved from place to place. And five hundred years later, after David became King of Israel, his son Solomon would build the Temple in Jerusalem. It took Solomon seven years and massive laborers and supplies to build the Temple. And when the Temple was dedicated, God’s presence filled the Temple with even more power than when God’s presence filled the Tabernacle.
Let’s look at 1 Kings chapter 8.
1 Kings 8:6-11 (ESV)
6 Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house (Temple), in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.
7 For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
. . .
10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
Solomon’s Temple was an incredible structure, well-known to all the nations of the world, and those nations knew the God of Heaven was dwelling with his people there.
Let me quote Francis Chan (Multiply)
The kingdom of Israel, with the elaborate temple in its midst to house the presence of God, was a glimpse of what the world ought to be. It was a picture of God’s dwelling in the midst of His earth, ruling over and blessing His people.
The Temple became what the Tabernacle had started out to be – the place where God dwelt among his people on earth, and it was a glimpse, a picture, of one day God permanently dwelling with his people.
Next, Solomon’s prayer to dedicate the Temple is incredible, and you really should read it carefully (1 Kings 8:22 and following). And right after the incredible dedication of the Temple by Solomon, 1 Kings 9 says,
1 Kings 9:1–2 (ESV)
1 As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all that Solomon desired to build,
2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time . . .
And in the rest of 1 Kings 9, the Lord gives Solomon a two-sided promise. First, God promises to bless Solomon greatly if Solomon will walk with God and keep God’s laws. And then (verse 6), God warns Solomon that if he or Israel would turn their backs on God…
God would remove his presence from the Temple.
God would remove Israel from the land, and
God would allow the Temple to be utterly destroyed.
Next to 1 Kings 9, write Ezekiel 10 because that is when God made good on this warning. Israel repeatedly turned their back on God, and God did remove his presence from the Temple, and God did remove Israel from the land, and God did allow the Temple to be utterly destroyed.
However, the Temple was not the permanent dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, just like the Tabernacle had not been the permanent dwelling place of God’s presence on earth. So…what was God’s plan for his ultimate dwelling place on earth? Once again, God’s final answer is… Jesus!
Turn to John Chapter 1. John starts his gospel at the real beginning.
John 1:1 (ESV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The implication here is in the beginning the WORD was already there. The Greek for “The Word” is LOGOS, literally “God in Expression.” John is writing about Jesus Christ, and he makes it clear Jesus Christ is God in Expression Come to Earth. And here it is – here’s the unmistakable connection in God’s Plan of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation.
John 1:14 (ESV)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .
Guess what? That word dwelt is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for Tabernacle!!! God had come to Tabernacle among us in the Person of Jesus Christ. And then the remainder of that verse says,
John 1:14 (ESV)
14 . . . , and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The glory of God in the original Tabernacle was not the ultimate dwelling place of God with his people on earth. The glory of God in the Temple was not the ultimate dwelling place of God with his people on earth. In the Person of Jesus Christ is the ultimate dwelling place of God with his people on earth. IN Jesus Christ, through his sacrifice and victory on the Cross the problem of sin separating us from the presence of God has been dealt with once and for all – Tetelestai!
Now, in the Person of Jesus Christ, the glory of God is dwelling on earth with hid people. But wait, there’s more. In John 14, Jesus promised us he would not leave us orphans.
John 14:18–19 (ESV)
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Jesus is actually talking here about the work of the Holy Spirit, who is fully God. Now, look at the verses just prior.
John 14:16–17 (ESV)
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
The title “Another Helper” for the Holy Spirit here is Allos Parakletos. It means literally, “One of the same kind and quality called alongside to help.” The Holy Spirit IS fully God, and at the end of verse 17, Jesus says, for he dwells with you and will be in you. And since Acts Chapter 2 (the Day of Pentecost), the Holy Spirit has filled every true believer, making us what the New Testament calls “The Body of Christ.”
No Tabernacle for God’s presence to dwell in
No Temple for God’s presence to dwell in
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? . . .
1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
And speaking of the Church,
Ephesians 2:20–21 (NLT)
20 Together, we are his house . . . And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Listen carefully, please. Jesus Christ is the ultimate presence of God on earth, and if you belong to Jesus today, then as part of the Body of Christ on earth, you are actually the dwelling place of the Presence of God. That is out of control!!!
And one day, when Jesus returns to reclaim this earth as his own, the whole earth will be filled with the full glory of God. We and this earth, and all of creation will be returned to how God originally created it in the Garden. We recently spent five messages in Revelation looking at the reality of us living in God’s full presence in heaven for eternity.
The Most Important Point (MIP): From the beginning, life with God has been all about his presence being with his people.
It’s God’s presence with you that distinguishes you as his own.
It’s God’s presence with you that is your ultimate victory.
As a Christian, there is only one thing you cannot do without and that is God’s presence.
Abounding, abasing, having plenty, suffering need – you can face any circumstance with God’s presence.
We must develop the Moses attitude. When God told him to go from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land in Exodus 33, Moses said to God: “If you don’t go personally with me, God, I can’t move.” Even if you send an angel with me, I still need your presence, and if you promise me your blessings without your presence, I don’t want it! I want you; I need you; I can’t move without knowing that you are with me.
If you have never known God’s presence in your life, you can begin to know him today. Cry out to him – ask him to come into your life and fill you with his presence.
And if you are a Christian today… and you spend more time asking God for stuff over his presence, rethink your prayers. What we all need is the full, real, active presence of God in our lives. Jesus Christ came and died to give us his life, his peace, his power, his victory…
But none of that comes without the active presence of God in your life. Say with Moses, God, I am not leaving this place unless I know you are with me!