“That we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD’s Presence, by continually conversing with Him. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation, to think of trifles and fooleries.” Brother Lawrence
What happens when we invite Jesus into our heart? We are actually believing His Word and by faith turning our life over to His control. Jesus actually is then in control of our soul, or our inner person. Our soul is the center of who we are and that is the part God changes when we receive the Holy Spirit. He takes over our lives at our core and we live our life and have our identity out of that relationship. Paul said it this way in Philippians 1:21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. Jesus is our life!! A great chorus we many times sing in our church says it this way. This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence living in me. God's holy presence living in us? You bet!!
We can feed our soul with the living Word of God and that knowledge refreshes our soul and the righteousness of God opens that pathway for growth. Without the fresh words of God's Word, we become lifeless and stagnant, and visionless. The writer of Proverbs says in Proverbs 19:2 Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, And he sins who hastens with his feet. We must protect our inner person and allow God to do a life-changing work that many avoid because of fear of giving up full control. But it is necessary to experience abundant life fully. And for the born-again believer, it is our desire to draw closer to God in our walk and the end result is a closer walk, and a realization of a deeper walk with God.
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
The words above all ring loud and clear and when it comes to priorities in our faith walk we should heed these words. There are actions we can take to guard our hearts and those actions usually involve depriving ourselves of things that might affect our hearts. I am trying to fight the apathetic way of living that involves accepting all marginal things in word and deed. What we see with our eyes can surely affect our heart and what we hear with our ears will do the same. The best way to stop marginal living is to replace it with pure truth from God's Word and let the living Word of God be just that in our lives...LIVING! When raising your children it is important to realize all of the many ways that the enemy is trying to get to them and lure them into a marginal faith. Media is the main culprit and we have gone from it being a help to being a hindrance in our walk with God. Of course, media is man-made and thus lends itself to being corrupted. Don't let the "crowd" dictate your convictions about what you watch and hear and learn to listen to the voice of God and not the voice of the world. His voice will always bring you home to where you need to be.
The presence of God is a wonderful thing and our God is right here with us. We must listen for Him and follow His voice when He calls. Even scientists cannot understand what it means to experience the presence of God. But since I have the Holy Spirit in my heart I can surely hear the voice of God as He speaks to me through His Word and through the presence of God in my life in the person of the Holy Spirit. The story below reminds me that the presence of God is not an electrical experience created by man, but a spiritual experience by the Creator.
The well-known theologian Charles Hodge wrote about his early years at Princeton: "It was my privilege to be the pupil-assistant of Professor Joseph Henry, the illustrious scientist. When, for the first time, electric signals were sent from point to point, the earth itself being used for the return current, Professor Henry put me at one end of the circuit, while he stood directing the experiments at the other. I can well remember the wonderful care with which he arranged them. Very often, when the testing moment came, he would raise his hand in adoring reverence and call upon me to uncover my head and worship in silence. He would say, 'Because God is here, I am about to ask Him a question.'"
For the believer, God is here and ready to hear our prayers, and answer our questions. He is also very ready to change us at our core. So guard your heart and allow God to change you from the inside out with the realization of His presence. I echo the prayer of the Apostle Paul where he wrote in Romans 15:13 this beautiful prayer. Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Pilgrimage Continues...
David Warren