Being a Christian is such an honor and privilege because we have the assurance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and eternal life in His Glory. The journey can have both happy moments and difficult , testing times. What makes the difference for a Christian on this journey is the presence of God. The comfort and encouragement we have on the salvation journey is the assurance that God is with us always.( Matthew 28:20). However, many times we as Christians feel so far from the presence of God? It honestly feels like we are on our own, despite the truth that God is with us.
THE HOLY SPIRIT ~ The presence of God with us.
The presence of God in the life of a Christian is the presence Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God Himself. God the Father is on His throne in heaven, and God the Son, is seated on the right hand side of the Father. But the Holy Spirit is here on earth with us. The scriptures confirm to us from the Old Testament throughout the New testament that the presence of God is the Holy Spirit here on earth;
( Joel 2: 28 – 29) – And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
(John 7: 39 ) –But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
(John 14 : 15-18 ) – If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
The Presence of God with us; the Holy Spirit empowers us as Christians to live out out the free gift of salvation Jesus purchased for us on the cross. Without the Holy Spirit; salvation is so difficult, obedience to the word of God, righteousness and Holiness impossible. Once we acknowledge how important the Holy Spirit is for us, we then realize the need to have a relationship with Him. Salvation immediately becomes enjoyable and not a burden. The very presence of God with us empowers us to overcome the snares of the enemy in this world which is under the prince of the air; the devil. This presence of the Holy Spirit empowers us to fulfill the purpose for which God created us.
With this truth, what holds us back from enjoying the Presence of the Lord in our lives? Why do we live defeated, sad lives full of desperation to the point that some have walked away from the marvelous gift of salvation through Christ. On my own journey, such moments have come, but by God’s grace, I have dug deep in prayer and the word to understand where God is in those moments. Reconciling that the scripture says God is always with me and actually experiencing Him in the difficult situation is only by the help of the HOLY SPIRIT.
What Hinders us from experiencing the Presence of God ?
The Holy Spirit is available to every believer of Jesus Christ our Lord, but not everyone experiences His presence in their lives. It is important to honor and treasure the presence of God with us. That means we have to live lives that allow the presence of God to remain with us.
- SIN.
David had a deep and intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. He had experienced and knew the presence of God. However when He got involved in sin; adultery and murder, He knew that the presence of God had departed from Him. In His repentance, He begged God not to leave Him. The reality is that sin creates a separation between us and God. God is Holy and He calls us to be Holy. The Holy Spirit’s role is to convict us of SIN. When we continually ignore His convictions to stop Sinning, He withdraws the power of His presence. Do not cast me away from Your presence,And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. (Psalm 51:10 )
2. Our Words and Speech.
You are wondering what could the connection be between the presence of God and our words? Proverbs 18:21 makes this connection clearly; The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences~ (NLT). Words are very powerful. The Holy Spirit is a life giving Spirit. The world was formed by the spoken word. When we speak words of life, the presence of God is remarkable and thrives in our lives. However certain words grieve the Holy Spirit and cause the Lord to withdraw the power of His presence. Constantly complaining, gossiping, discouragement, angry words, filthy language all grieve the Holy Spirit and He withdraws His power. The words we speak are a reflection of the state of our heart. Luke 6:45 ~ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Pondering on what we speak can give us a clear indication of what is in our hearts and lead us to cry out to God to give us clean hearts and renew a right Spirit within us just as King David did in Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Ephesians 4: 25-29: Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.The most subtle way is through our words. Our words have power to keep the presence of God, but also the power to keep the presence of God away.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Thank you for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Holy Spirit for your presence in my life and the Life of every believer. Forgive us oh Lord for all the times where we have grieved your Holy Spirit. Forgive us and renew a right Spirit within us. Teach us how to Honor your presence in our lives, to genuinely love you and live surrendered lives to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior , AMEN.