There is a great hunger after the realty and presence of God in the Church today! That is a wonderful thing because those who hunger after God and the things of God will be satisfied!
But many times there is too much begging God to come down, begging God to come near and things like that. He already paid the greatest price to bring us near to Him. He did that because He wants us near Him. He wants closeness and intimacy with us far greater than the deepest hunger for Him we have ever felt!
If we start with what the Word says is already ours and go from there we will get much further than if we pray for God to do what He has already done and beg Him to give us what He has already given.Exodus 33:11 – And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
The need to be Face to face with God – this is built into the heart of man. It is the heart cry of every sincere Christian. Moses met God face to face, but at that time it wasn’t for everyone. But in these days, we have ALL been brought near to God by the blood and can all enjoy a face to face relationship with God Himself, as intimate as anything we have ever dreamed of.
1 Corinthians 1:9 – …by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are called into companionship with God. We are called into participation with Jesus.
Corinthians 13:14 (Amplified Bible) – The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen
Message – The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
Here is a scriptural proclamation to make over yourself and those you are praying for: Let the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with me! Amen!
Or say it as the Message Bible does: Let the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit be with me! Yes, Lord let these things be with all of your children! Amen!
1 Chronicles 16:11 – Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually!
This should be our greatest yearning – to abide always in the presence of the Lord and to walk always in His strength rather than our own.
Here is my prayer. Lord, you spoke to Moses face to face. Lord, I seek your face also. May your extravagant love, your intimate friendship and presence and fellowship be with me all my days. I yearn for and seek your face and to be in your presence continually!!!
The things about this is that it isn’t up to God how much of His presence He reveals to me. It has more to do with what I do.
Revelation 3:20 (Amplified Bible) – Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.
He is knocking at the door of the heart of every one of His children, but it is only the ones who listen and heed and open up their lives to Him that He will come in and have intimate fellowship with. This isn’t talking about salvation, it is a passage speaking to those who were already part of the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 3:17 , 19 (Amplified Bible) – May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
It is through my faith that Christ will actually dwell, settle down, abide and make His permanent home in my heart. It is as I know and understand His love and experience it that I am filled through all my being unto all the fullness of God and enjoy the richest measure of the divine presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.
Can you imagine this: filled unto all the fullness of God, enjoying the richest measure of the divine presence and becoming a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself?
How do you get this? It starts with faith. May Christ actually dwell, settle down, abide and make His permanent home in my heart – THROUGH FAITH. This means I purposely believe He is in me, that He will never leave or forsake me. I practice His presence every day and on every occasion through faith.
I don’t ask Him to be there. He is in me already. I just acknowledge and believe it. I walk and talk with Him each day because He said He is with me and in me and will never leave me. I simply treat Him as if I believe Him. I treat Him as though He meant what He said and said what He meant. This is walking with Him by faith. My faith in the reality of His truth activates it in my life.
John 14:21-23 (Amplified Bible) – The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.] Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world? Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.
It is those who learn God’s ways and keep them that He will come to and make His dwelling place in. Those who love Jesus, He will love and will show and reveal and manifest Himself to. He will let Himself be clearly seen and make Himself real. Is there anything you want more than this?
The first step in this is to accept Jesus and what He did for your salvation. Make Him the Lord of your life and He will come into you and never leave you. After that you need to learn His ways so you can walk in them. You learn about Him though His Word. Then you need to actively put your faith in what He has said and apply it to yourself.
Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) – But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
There is no other way to please God except through faith. It is impossible to please God without faith. It is impossible to please God when you treat Him as though you don’t believe the things He has said about Himself and about what He has done and provided.
Purposely believe He is with you. Talk to Him as though He is right there with you hearing and understanding whatever you say. Purposely make Him as real to yourself as a person you can see. He is there just as He as said.
You can see Him there with you as the Word says He is, saying to you what He has said, doing for you want He did for others. As you do this, your faith will give Him such pleasure that HE WILL MANIFEST HIMSELF TO YOU AND MAKE HIMSELF REAL TO YOU!
John 15:4-5 (AMP) Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with me, you can do nothing.
Jesus said we are to abide in Him, to dwell in Him, to live in Him, vitally united to Him. This is a description of living in His presence. We don’t need to beg Him to send His presence. He is here already. He brought us near to Himself and is so intent to have a place in our hearts that He is knocking diligently that we might let Him in. So open the door of your heart. Let Him in. Believe He comes in, and walk with Him all the days of your life.