RETURN TO HIS PRESENCE
Missionary Esther Thornton, Oregon
Dear Friends,
God has “New Beginnings” for each one of us today, right now! He wants to bless and change us that we might come more fully into His wonderful presence!
One of the basic core values is the presence of God. We defined the presence of God that it is in 3 levels: omnipresence of God (God is everywhere); manifested presence of God (there are times when God manifests himself and people have a chance to respond); it is the felt, realized, actual presence of God in our lives (when the omnipresence is manifested to you personally and you learn to recognize the presence of God). As you come to church, or worship corporately - it is the level of the individual as to who carries the presence of God. We are carriers of the presence of God and how much of his presence is within us is our choice. How do we carry His presence and how anointed are we?
We’re talking today about “Drifting from His presence” and “Returning to the place of His presence”.
Genesis 3:8
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
His presence was so real that they hid themselves from it. What are we doing with His presence? Are we hiding from it? Do we feel our heart is not right with God? Do we feel that we have no depth of conversation with God? Do we feel that when we meet with the Lord personally that nothing happens? Do we feel in a worship service like everyone is going 65 and we’re only going 20? We look around and see that the presence is so real to people in a service, but it is not to us. Someone may stand up and say that they spent an hour with the Lord that morning and we think “I haven’t spent an hour in prayer for all of my life! And we think, How could I spend an hour with the Lord? What would I do with all of that time? Someone speaks how God quickened them through reading the Word and His Spirit came upon them, and we think “that’s never happened to me.”
These have a special place where they meet with God. People withdraw in a church service when God’s presence is manifested because they don’t know how to respond. Or they hid because they feel shame, guilt, anger, depression, resistance. Or they’re afraid that if I submit to his invading presence, what will happen in my life? What will God take from me that I don’t want to give up? What will God demand of me that I can’t do? And, though we are saved and on our way to Heaven, Jesus came to do more for us than just that. He came to bring us a better life - now! The presence of God can be real in our lives - now!
Genesis 4:16
And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
This verse says that I can leave the presence of God. We’re not talking about the omnipresence because you can’t leave it; nor the manifested presence because you can’t do anything about it if you are in the midst of it. But, we’re talking about something personal.Cain left the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod. We don’t want to leave and dwell in Nod! (which is a bad place to be).
Genesis 13:3-4
And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; [4] Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
If you mark your Bible like I do, you can mark or underline the words “the place”. And he (Abraham) went to THE PLACE where his tent had been in the beginning. He knew where the place was where he had built an altar and now he was returning because he had sinned before God. Right before this, he had gone down to Egypt and he was not supposed to. He left and did a detour. But now he repents and returned to the place where he had called upon the Lord. I want you this evening to return to the place where God wants to build an altar in your life. Some have not been to that place for so long, and it’s foreign to you.
Frank Damazio’s parents live in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His mom is a “white glove” housekeeper, a clean freak. She washes dishes before you finish eating. There is a distinct smell or odor to his mom’s house from cleaners, etc. and when he smells that smell, all kinds of memories come back to him - childhood memories - the dog he owned, the bedroom he had. Frank’s wife’s mother, Joyce, who is now in Heaven used to put a certain thing in the storage areas and in quilts - to protect them. When he smelled this smell he thought, “Where have I smelled this smell before?” Then, he realized that it was like his own house, as his wife, Sharon, uses the same thing her mother used. There is a unified smell and it reminds me of the place.
What about the place you proposed to your wife? Or your favorite place to eat? Or your favorite camping place or vacation? He said he didn’t first kiss his wife but she kissed him! He said that she just could not resist! He lived on top of Moutenomah Falls so that place had a distinct feeling for him. It’s a place. Now, his home office is his place. There is a certain “feel” to his office. He has a large built-in desk where he studies and about 3 or 4,000 books. This area and his chair is worn. Books and papers are stacked everywhere. And, don’t you touch any of those papers because I know where everyone of those papers belongs and where each book belongs. If his kids come in and take a book, he asks, “Who took one of my books?” The carpet is worn. It is a place where he prays, and listens to worship. Do you have a place?
Starbucks calls themselves “the third place” - why? Because it’s God, home, and Starbucks! A variety of people come there and it is their third place. Do you have a third place? The place starts in your heart.
My place is in my office. It used to be in my green house after the Lord healed me of sickness I had for months. I had music and speaks installed in the top corners and could worship the Lord there in the midst of tall plants and tranquility. But, it got old and had served it’s purpose of being a peaceful place to be.
So, now my place is my office. Our cars can be “worship mobiles”, too. Frank’s wife said that God loves his car if he can catch up with it! He says when he hears a fast worship song, he goes faster and faster! He said he thinks God guards him from policemen. He asks the Lord to forgive him when he goes 80 on the freeway! If an officer would stop him, he would say that this is his place, but he said that the officer would probably say, “And I have a place for people like you!” If you haven’t got a place - find one!
Our mtgs. have the presence of God here, and if you don’t like that, you won’t like our mtgs.! Some may think that it takes us a long time to warn up. Or others may say, “Wow, I’ve been standing for 32 min. I haven’t stood this long since I was at the baseball game! If you don’t understand “the presence”, our mtgs. Won’t make sense to you cause we’re a presence driven group; presence visited group. And, behind it all, is a personal relationship to Jesus Christ - not a religion - but a relationship.
So, the definition of making a place for God’s presence is living in communion with God. It must be focused, strategize. It’s not just going to happen to you - there’s a discipline but the discipline actually becomes an enjoyment.
When Frank lived in Eugene, where he pastured a church for 12 yrs., he used to jog. And, there’s a time in this where you forget you’re running, you’re not tired anymore, and you break into the zone. And, while you’re in the zone, everything shifts in your mind, emotions, and your body and this is why many like to jog. Do you ever get into the zone of the presence of God? Instead of “I have to have my devotions”, it is “I can’t wait!” I miss it when I can’t have “my place time”
The definition for “Making a place for God‘s Presence is: “living in communion with God and with a continual awareness of his presence.”
Drifting or departing from the presence of God - I am not here to put a guilt trip on anybody but to call you to awareness, as a pastor or good leader should do. “Have you drifted or departed from the presence of God in your life?
Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
2 evils - they have forsaken from the fountain of living water (your relationship to the presence), departed from the place, the zone, from the enjoyment of - 2nd evil: you make yourself a vessel that can’t even hold water (you not only depart from, but you bring in a substitute - you bring in something that will never satisfy your life - something that cannot hold the water os life.
Genesis 3:8
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
Psalm 51:11
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psalm 101:7
He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
Identifying departure markers from the presence of God - Departure markers (like Dr. tried to find departure markers for your health). I’m trying to find some departure markers that might alert you to the drifting or departure from the presence of God. These are the markers that cause you to depart from the: intimate, powerful, fresh presence of God. Ask yourself a couple of questions. “Was there a particular decision, act, or attitude that marked your departure from God‘s presence in your life? – Un-forgiveness, a root of bitterness or something else that caused you to depart from where you need to be. An independent spirit: “It’s my life and I don’t need someone to tell me what to do, when to do, or how to do. When and how do the first signs of departing from God began to surface in your life? “There‘s something wrong here. “I’m drifting, “I’m unsatisfied”, “I’m dabbling with sin”, “I’m creating habits in my life that I know are wrong”. When did this start to surface in your life?
Identifying substitutes for the Presence of God: When you realize something is wrong, then Substitutes start coming in. Have you turned to these substitutes and made them a lifestyle? Substitutes are those things that are not necessarily bad or evil, but simply keep us occupied and satisfied to live life without the empowering presence of God.
1. Work or ministry: life and its many activities can be the greatest departure - too much activity - Not getting priorities straight. Are you happy, fulfilled, and fulfilling the will of God? We live in a “workoholic society”. One day that job may be taken away. Or when you retire it is scarry without a job or kids at home and it is important how I live my life personally. Or ministry can be a substitute. There are those in ministry or who have a ministry in a church who have no relationship with Jesus. They get so much “serving” that there is no time to be “Mary” and not “Martha”. False beliefs: “I should not have any limits to what I can do” - freedom -this is not true. “I have the capacity to help everyone so I should be involved with everyone.”- not true. “I am the only person available to do what I am doing, therefore I’d better do it.”- not true. “I must never make a mistake or I cannot accept myself - I’m a perfectionist - better change. “I have the ability to change other people and I spend a lot of time trying to do that.” Have you found out that other people don’t change as easy as you thought? Relationship can be a substitute - Family, friends, even your pet! You spend more time with your dog than with God - that is not a good thought. Church can be a substitute with its activities. Some people go faithfully to church and are involved but don’t have time to be stable or to do what is right. Name your own substitutes, if you have any. Let’s let God change us!
Returning to the Place of Presence:
1 Samuel 7:3
And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
1. It’s a matter of decision - and even if it’s a weak decision it is still a good decision.
2. It’s a matter of heart - Maybe you don’t know everything you would like to know in the Bible or ministry, but it is honesty, purity of heart - “Lord, I want a place with you.”
3. It’s a matter of change - Put away idols and substitutes and those things that should not be in your life.
4. It’s a matter of commitment - serve the Lord every day - simplicity of life - change some things in your heart and make a commitment on a daily basis and you will begin to rebuild a place for God’s presence.
Psalm 116:7
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Hosea 6:1-2
Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. [2] After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
“Come and let us return to the Lord” - God never rejects; He never says you have to do 12 more things - God is loving, forgiving, accepting on the spot. At this moment, you can have a clean page - right now you can make a decision to return to the Lord.
There is chorus that says:
Let’s us search and try our ways
in turning again to the Lord
Let us lift up our hearts with our hands
Lift our hearts with our hands
“ “ “ “ “ “
Unto God in the heavens
And turn again to the Lord
If you have not been in the place to hear God, love God enough, and you want to make a decision to place your life back in his hands, make that decision right now. “I need to return to the Lord”. Those who have relationship to the presence but you have allowed substitutes to come in and you need to shake some of those loose, make the decision to say, “They’ve got to go! I’m going to push them out!”
“Come and let us return to the Lord!”
May God speak to our hearts in these last days and cause us more than ever to return to the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul. And, He says that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we shall find Him!
May God bless you as you labor for Him and give each one of us a new start in our lives and ministries!
Esther
