Dwell in the Presence of the Lord

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Do You Desire to Dwell in the Presence of the Lord?

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord, and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple” Psalms 27:4, Amplified.

David was not satisfied to simply have an occasional encounter with God. His desire was to dwell in the presence of the Lord always.  I have found that Psalms 27:4 holds a powerful key to dwelling in the presence of the Lord! The key is to meditate on His Word.

In Psalms 1:2, David said he meditates on the Word of God day and night. As you go through your day, choose a verse and meditate on it, quote it over and over, and then write out the impressions you have regarding that verse.

Ask God to speak to you through His Word, and as you do that you will find your spirit is lifted up above your circumstances and you are dwelling in His presence.  As this becomes a daily practice, you will soon find that you can dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

What Are Your Thoughts About Yourself?

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“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me O God? How great is the sum total of them! If I should count them they are more in number than the sand; when I awake I am still with thee.” (Psalm 139: 17)

Where are your thoughts about yourself coming from? Are you listening to others’ comments or are you listening to the Lord? Are you measuring your worth by a worldly standard you see on TV or are you using God’s Word as the standard?

If you can believe that God carefully and lovingly molded you in the womb and covered you with His hand (Psalm 139:13), then your ears will be opened to hear what God’s thoughts are about you.

But now says the Lord that created you, and He that formed you… I have redeemed you and called you by your name; and you are mine…since you are precious in my sight, I love you. (Isaiah 43:1-4 paraphrase)

God says you are precious. His thoughts about you are precious, which means you are of great worth and value, a priceless treasure. The Psalmist David said that God’s thoughts about us are so vast that if they could be numbered they are more than the grains of sand. Just think for a moment of the sea shore and that each grain of sand represents a thought that God thinks about you. Just reach down and pick up a handful of sand. When you come into agreement with God’s thoughts about you, then the way you view yourself will change.

Today, line up your thoughts with God’s thoughts and say: “I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works and that my soul knows right well.” (Psalm 139:14)

Healing a Broken Heart

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“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Connecting with people is sometimes very difficult to do.  It is heartbreaking when we can’t seem to connect with those who are closest to us.  If you have been hurt in a relationship, you may be guarding your heart and fearful of being hurt again.

It is very hard and even impossible to connect if you are unable to lay your guard down and open your heart.

If you find it hard to connect with others, you may have a wounded heart that needs to be healed.  Trust God to heal your wounded, betrayed and broken heart.  Healing comes by faith.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. James 5:15.

The prayer of faith shall heal the sick and heal the heart.  Pray this simple prayer right now.  By faith begin receiving your healing.

Father God, It is hard for me to connect to others. I have been hurt and I want to be healed. I ask you to heal my broken heart and bind up my wounds.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Need Strength? Wait on the Lord

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Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.  Isaiah 40:31

Are you waiting on something and wondering why it is taking so long?  Waiting is required of us for spiritual maturity.  A child who has not yet matured, can’t sit still, they are impatient and can’t wait.  A child that can’t wait patiently demands their way, they want what they want, and they want it right now!  But God requires us to wait so we will mature in our faith.  He knows that during the waiting period we will grow stronger in our faith if we don’t give in and give up.

Think about the abundant blessings that came from waiting: Mary the mother of Jesus waited nine months and then our blessed Savior was born.  Mary and Martha waited for Jesus and saw their brother miraculously raised from the dead.

Is God requiring you to wait?  Don’t get impatient and give up prematurely; wait upon the Lord.  A person who lives in submissive obedience to the Lord must be willing to wait upon Him.

Are You Spiritually Immature?

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There are many church pews filled with Spiritually Immature people.  They go to Church, but fail to really grow in their Spiritually Maturity.

Fulfilling the call of God on your life will require spiritual maturity.  We can look at Solomon and what he had to go through to prepare to build the house of the Lord.  King David wanted to build the House of the Lord, but God told him that Solomon would be the one who would build the House.  Even though David was probably disappointed, he began helping Solomon prepare himself for the task.  In 1 Chronicles 29:1 David said, “Solomon is yet young and tinder” (inexperienced), in other words he had not matured yet.  King David knew Solomon was inexperience and would need to mature in order to accomplish the call on his life.

We live in a world of immaturity.  We live in a time when the adults have more toys than the children and most people don’t want to grow up.  The first step to spiritual maturity comes as the worldly desires are put aside and the work of the kingdom becomes a priority.

Another part of maturity is learning patience.  We learn patients as we go through difficult situations that give experience.  According to Romans 5:3-4, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope:”

It takes tribulation to work patience in us.  Tribulation develops patience and patience produces experience.

We gain patience as we face times of tribulation.  This strengthens our faith.  So we are to embrace tribulation as a time to grow and mature. You will actually know if you are maturing by how you handle a difficult time.

 Experience also comes as we learn to go through difficult times.  Many people will view hard times or times of tribulation as an attack of the enemy instead of learning from the difficulty.  The experience gives wisdom and the wisdom brings maturity.

Wisdom from Solomon

We will gain wisdom when we receive discipline and correction properly.  Discipline is a major part of the maturing process, so do not avoid or despise it.

Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord: neither be weary of His correction.” We get understanding when we go through correction and chastening. We understand the consequences of our bad choices. Understanding gives you the wisdom to be able to make a better choice. The problem is we all want wisdom but no one wants to be reproved and learn from their mistakes. Everyone wants to hear a prophetic word that will encourage them. But without reproof we will stay immature. When we are reproved is when we gain understanding.

Proverbs 29:15 says, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, a child left to him brings a mother to shame.” A child who is not reproved will not grow up, they become selfish and immature.

 Proverbs 13:24 says, “He that spares the rod hateth his son.” A child will actually mature through proper disciplining. All discipline should be accompanied by instruction so there is an opportunity to learn a lesson from the discipline. Proper discipline robes a child in righteousness but harsh discipline robes a child in guilt and shame.

Proverbs 15:32 says, “He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that heareth reproof gets understanding.”

Many people do not understand how important disciplines are in their life. To be a disciple means: you have learned to be disciplined. The lack of spiritual maturity and discipline can hold you back from a calling God has on your life. So learn how to embrace discipline from the Lord as part of your spiritual maturing process.

Fruit From Root Issues

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By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:16-20 (NIV)

 Unhealed wounds create the perfect opportunity for seeds to be sown that create bad fruit many years later. We will reap what we have sown. One tiny apple seed planted in the ground will produce an entire tree filled with fruit. Good seeds like kindness produce good fruit; and bad seeds like resentment produce bad fruit. We can recognize the original seed that was sown by the fruit that is being produced. Many people are unaware that the root issues in their life today, is the result of seeds planted years ago. Jesus made it very easy to see our root issues as He taught how to recognize bad fruit.

Jesus said in Mathew 7:16, “You will fully recognize them by their fruits…” We can look at the bad fruit in our lives or the re-occurring problems to identify what needs to be uprooted. In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus uses a tree to explain the principle of getting to the root of bad fruit or recurring problems.

 To get to the root issues we must track from the fruit (today) back to the root (when it first began).

  •  The fruit reveals areas of the heart that need healing.
  •  The trunk of the tree is the built-in structure or habits that keep the root issues producing bad fruit (Matthew 7:16-20).

Here is the Answer to Rejection

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Have you ever felt the pain of rejection?  Most people have.

Jesus also experienced rejection from His own people.

“He came to His own people and his own received him not.” John 1:11

He felt the pain of rejection from every relationship.

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

On the cross, He cried…

“Father, why have you forsaken me?”  Matthew 27:46

He felt all of our pain at that moment. However, His last words were “It is finished.” John 19:30

Our acceptance was completely paid for by Jesus on the cross.   After suffering on our behalf, Jesus was taken up by Father God and seated at His right hand in the heavenly places.   If Christ is in you, then you have been accepted by God as one of His children.  You too are seated in the heavenly places.

“And he raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:6

In Christ, you are no longer forsaken, no longer rejected; you are fully accepted in Him!

The Power to Move a Mountain

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“You will know and understand the hope to which He called you and the greatness of His power.” Eph 1:18

faith to move mountainsWe have access to His great power when we are in His will. The power to create the universe, move a mountain and change history is in His hands. He has placed me as His child, His representative on the earth, to call on Him to create, move or change something. Sometimes we get so preoccupied that we forget our purpose.

Have you ever gone into the grocery store and forgotten what you intended to buy? After a couple of steps into the store you have a thousand voices speaking to you!  You see all the brands of cereal and the sales, and you forget what you wanted to purchase.  The same is true in our daily life.  The calls, the options, and the sales grab for our attention. What happened to the still small voice that spoke into your spirit the moment you woke up?  Was it drowned out within the first few steps into your world?  We must realize how Christ was able to carry out His assignment on planet earth. He set His face like a flint towards the cross and He didn’t let anything distract him. The world could not hinder, discourage, slow down nor stop Him.  Know what your purpose is and rely on the greatness of His power to accomplish it.

You Shall Walk

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“You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land which you shall possess.” Deut. 5:33

Walk in HimThe Lord has a path on which we are to walk. We are to walk in His ways regardless of our circumstances.  God promised us in Deut. 5:33 that if we walk in His ways, we will live a long life and things to work together for our good.  Even when our circumstances do not appear to be going as planned, if we walk in the ways of the Lord and trust what He has promised in His word, life will go well. This does not mean there will not be any problems.

As we walk down the path of life, there will be bumps in the road.  Things will happen that we did not plan on, but nothing should change the way we walk. We must still walk in His ways and not veer to the right or to the left.

When our son was in a coma, I could feel the pull moment by moment to give in to fear and to give up and accept the report of the doctors. The doctors said my son would be in a vegetative state if he came out of the coma. But I resisted the pull and I didn’t give in. I trusted in the Lord. God said He would show us the path of life for our son. He said our son would live and not die. As I read God’s Word, He encouraged me to not give up.

“The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy…” Isaiah 35:5-6

So, I walked in the ways of the Lord, believing His Word. The path of life for our son had been prepared ahead of time and now we had to embrace it by faith. Faith is the assurance of things we hope for even though we may not see them yet. We saw him lying in a hospital bed unable to move, talk or communicate in any way. But we did not give in to what we saw. We had to believe what we did not see. We believed that he would walk and talk again……and praise God he is walking, talking and serving the Lord today.

Whatever you are going through do not give up, give in, or stop walking and trusting in the ways of the Lord. His ways are a high-way above the circumstances. The high-way is the way of faith, believing what God says and not giving in to fear. Don’t let your circumstances dictate your thoughts and convince you that God is not faithful. He is faithful. He will work all things together for good for those who trust in Him. Trust Him and ask Him to show you the path of life.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Stressed and Distressed? Try Resting in His Arms

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“And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting looking and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him, [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless unbroken companionship]!” Isaiah 30:18 AMP

Have you ever sat for hours, listening to someone talk and thought to yourself, “I sure wish they would just get to the point?” I have! I have heard many teachers try to explain God’s love by using so many words and by the time they were finished, I had lost their point in the explanation. Over the years I have prayed, “Lord, just make it simple, so I can understand. I want to get it.”

As I read Isaiah 30:18, everything that describes God’s love to me was wrapped up in this verse. I felt completely safe, secure, and loved as I read it. Nothing could confuse or take the truth of His love from me. It was if I was taken up in His arms, and at that moment, I was held so securely I would never doubt again. He loves me so much and He has been waiting on me to fully receive His love.

He loves you too! He is looking, watching, and longing to be gracious to you. He has poured His loving kindness and tender mercies out and is watching and waiting for you to receive them. Like the father of the prodigal son, he was waiting, watching, and longing to see his son come back home. When the prodigal son finally came back home, his father wrapped his arms around him and covered him with the finest robe. Everything the father owned had been his.

That is how I see God; His arms opened wide with a robe just my size in His hands, waiting to wrap it around me. I am His daughter, and He has been patiently waiting on me. He says, “Daughter, I have been waiting on you to come and receive all I have prepared for you. All my blessings are contained inside of my love for you to receive.”

God’s desire has always been to show you how much He loves you. Simply receive it, and you too can rest in His arms all day.