by Alisha | Oct 8, 2012 | Uncategorized
Over the years, this has been the one subject that I love to study and talk about more than anything else. However, I have not always been so faithful in the execution of it. I have failed many times. But, each time I’ve entered into His presence, my Father has been there, waiting for me with open arms and unfathomable love!
Psalm 84:1-2 AMP says, How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.
My heart’s cry is to dwell in His presence. He is the Source of true contentment and peace. He is the Source of all strength. Nothing and no one else can ever satisfy. He is what our spirits crave.
But we can be so easily distracted. (See my blog post, Get Rid of the Weeds, for more on this subject.) There always seems to be someone or something demanding our time and attention. And if we go too long without pulling ourselves away, we can become “dull” to the things of God.
To avoid becoming “spiritually dull” we must learn how to dwell in His presence continually. But how do we learn to do this? Anytime you are “learning” something new, you must practice. And we have to practice remaining in the presence of God.
It is daily decision that we must make to seek Him. We can make the decision that we are going to “dwell in His presence all the days of our lives” (Ps. 27:4) one moment and then the next moment feel as if we are as far away from His presence as we have ever been. We must choose His presence. It is a daily (sometimes moment by moment) choice.
This is where “practicing the presence of God” comes in. We must practice focusing our attention on Him. We must practice turning our hearts to Him. In this world, it doesn’t come naturally or easily. But the more you spend time with the Father, the more you begin to crave Him.
One way we practice His presence is found in Psalm 84:4 AMP: Blessed are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long.
When we sing His praises – songs of love and worship to Him throughout the day, it helps us to keep our focus on Him. Our hearts are turned toward him and our eyes are fixed on Him.
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. How many times have you been down or discouraged, but you made yourself sing to the Lord? You know that wonderful, uplifting, burden-removing feeling that His presence brings!
Another way we practice His presence is by simply talking to Him throughout the day. I don’t mean a monologue where you’re the only one talking—I mean a dialogue where you speak to Him and then listen for His voice speaking to you. He will speak to you. He desires your company. He created you for fellowship!
When you listen for His still, small voice and learn to obey it, things will change in your life. You will change. Your relationships will change. Your circumstances will change.
You can experience God’s presence throughout the day – every day – as you learn to focus your attention on Him even in the midst of your hectic life. In fact, He will even show you what things to lay aside so that you can have more time to be with Him.
Psalm 26:8 AMP says, Lord, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.
I want to be in the place where God’s glory dwells. I want to know Him and His ways. I want to be changed in His presence from glory to glory. I want to grow in the things of God. I want to be in the place where He can use me for His glory. Don’t you? Then begin to practice His presence on a daily basis. In His presence is fullness of joy!
(For further insight on this subject, I recommend the book, The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence.)
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by Alisha | Sep 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
Life is full of tests, trials, discouragement, and opportunities to quit on the way to fulfilling your God-given destiny. The Lord Jesus Himself said, “In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration….” But thankfully, He didn’t stop there. He continued, “but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” John 16:33 (Amp.)
So what do you do when you encounter tests, trials, tribulations, afflictions, persecutions, and such? Do you cry and feel sorry for yourself? Do you question where the Lord is and if He’s ever going to come through for you? Do you wonder why the devil’s picking on poor little ole you?
No! These times are the perfect opportunities for you to be a doer of the Word and “put on the garment of praise.” Isaiah 61:3 says that God has given us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (discouragement, weakness, fainting, grief)…” When life seems too hard, when things just aren’t going the way they’re supposed to go, when you’re down and discouraged, that’s the time to get your praise on!
Hebrews 13:15 says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Sometimes, it may seem like the hardest thing to do is to praise the Lord in the midst of pain, distress or suffering, but that’s when we offer up the “sacrifice of praise.” It might be difficult on the mind and the flesh, but it does absolute wonders for your spirit man – and ultimately your whole life!
Praise is one of the weapons in our arsenal as believers that will defeat the enemy every time. We see evidence of this in 2 Chronicles 20, when instead of fighting, the Israelites stood still and gave praise to the Lord. It was when they begin to sing and to praise that the Lord set ambushments against their enemies. They didn’t have to fight – they only had to praise!
When we praise, we position ourselves in faith, and pave the way for the Lord to work in our lives. Praise is an attitude of the heart that refuses to consider circumstances, but instead determines to fully trust in the Lord!
When you praise, you acknowledge that God is greater than any circumstance or situation you face, that He has only good in store for you, and that He is willing and able to bring that goodness to pass in your life.
Psalm 57:7 says, “My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” No matter what you go through, you can keep your heart fixed (steadfast, confident, unwavering, and faithful) by singing and giving the Lord praise.
We have the Lord’s promise that we will encounter tests and trials in this world, but He has also promised us that He has already overcome the world.
So when faced with the temptation to fret, feel sorry for yourself, and become discouraged, instead choose to get your praise garment on.
Choose to keep your heart fixed and confident in the Lord. Then watch as He works and moves in miraculous ways in your life!
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by Alisha | Aug 6, 2012 | Uncategorized
Psalm 84:1-2 NLT How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
You were created for the presence of God.
There is a desire – a yearning – in each of us to be with Him, to experience His holy pres-ence, His love, His peace, His joy, and to gaze upon His beauty. There is no place else that can satisfy this longing. Nothing else will do.
His presence has everything you need. If you need answers or direction for your life, or if you’re in need of more joy, then you must make time to be with Him: Psalm 16:11 (NKJ) You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Do you need to be refreshed, revived or rejuvenated? Then enter into His presence: Acts 3:19 (KJV) …times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Are you weary, tired and in need of rest? Exodus 33:14 (AMP) And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.
Are you feeling weak? In His presence is strength: 1 Chronicles 16:27 (KJV) Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Do you need a place to run and hide, or to just get away from the cares of this life and its strife? Psalm 31:20 (NKJ) You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
The presence of the Lord is our refuge. It’s our secret place. It is where we partake of intimate union and communion with Him. In His presence we receive His mercy and unfailing love. We experience the warmth of His embrace.
It’s no wonder our hearts “faint with longing” for Him.
The Amplified version of Psalm 84:2 says, My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.
Once you’ve experienced the beauty of His presence, you will yearn for more of Him!
But how does one enter into the presence of God?
Psalm 100:2,4 (KJV) says, Come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
And Psalm 95:2 (AMP) says, Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!
In Psalm 22:3, we see that God inhabits the praises of His people.
The door to His presence is thanksgiving, praise and worship. If you will cultivate a lifestyle of praising and worshiping the Lord, then you will begin to sense His tangible presence more and more. He will inhabit your praises!
The Lord loves you! He desires you! He created you to be with Him — to live in His presence. So enter into His holy presence with thanksgiving. Sing songs of praise and worship to Him throughout the day.
Develop a lifestyle of love and adoration toward Him. Then you will find yourself dwelling in that secret place. You will experience the beauty of His presence like never before, and you will truly satisfy that deep longing and yearning in your heart for the living God!
(Photo: Thinkstock/The Knot)
by Alisha | Oct 23, 2011 | Uncategorized
John 10:10 (Amp.) says, I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). And Ephesians 2:10 (Amp.) says, …living the good life which He pre- arranged and made ready for us to live.
These two scriptures clearly point out the fact that God not only wants us to have an abundant life, but He also wants us to enjoy it. He prearranged for us to live “the good life” before the foundations of the world!
The French have an expression, joie de vivre, which translated into English means: “joy of living.” Believers, more than anyone else on the face of the earth, should be experiencing this “joy of living” because of the abundant life God has provided for us.
So why aren’t more believers actually enjoying their lives? Why don’t they have a “joy of living?”
Psalm 16:11 tells us that in His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. So, if we, as believers, aren’t experiencing joy in our daily lives, it can only mean that we aren’t really living in His presence.
It is only in the presence of the Lord that we receive joy, encouragement, peace, and strength for our daily lives. It is only in His presence that we can hear Him speak words of life and love to our hearts. It is only by abiding in His presence that we are reminded of who we are: children of the Most High God, deeply loved, highly favored, and exceedingly blessed.
Living in the presence of the Lord produces complete and total joy – not only joy, but “pleasures forevermore.”
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is [our] strength. So we see that if we are going to be strong spiritually, then it is imperative that we spend enough time in the presence of the Lord to receive this joy!
How can anyone spend quality time with the Lord, reading His Word, fellowshipping with Him in prayer, and praising and worshiping Him without coming out “full of joy?”
No matter what situation or circumstance you may go through, you can still experience joy! That’s because joy is not based on circumstances. It is a fruit of the recreated human spirit (Gal. 5:22).
Happiness is an emotion, and emotions change quite often. Most people can fake happiness for a while. They can pretend that all is well. They can pretend to be enjoying their lives. But deep, abiding, true joy cannot be faked.
If your “joy tank” is running low, then you need to get in the presence of the Lord and get it filled back up!
You may have to stir up the joy on the inside of you. The scriptures tell us to “break forth into joy” (Isa. 52:9), to “shout for joy” (Psalm 32:11), and to “sing for joy” (Psalm 67:4). If you are born again, then you already have joy, but you will have to abide in His presence to maintain a full level of it.
It is only by living full of the Word and the Spirit that believers will experience a “joy of living.” It is only by maintaining a vital connection with the Lord that we will truly have and enjoy the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. And it is only by living in His presence that we learn to live “the good life that He prearranged and made ready for us to live.”
So, make sure that you daily draw near to the Lord by getting into His Word and spending time fellowshipping with Him, because in His presence is fullness of joy!
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