PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD - PART 3

"How lovely is your dwelling place, 
O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God."
Psalm 84:1-2
David, the shepherd-king of Israel, knew the secret of practicing the presence of God; his psalms clearly attest to that fact. I am constantly inspired and encouraged by the life and example of King David. If someone as thoroughly human and flawed as he could enjoy intimate fellowship with God, then I know there is hope for all of us! David made many mistakes – he was an adulterer, a murderer, and a less than effective father – yet in spite of these failings, he was a man of great faith who loved the Lord with all his heart. 
The phrase “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) is a beautiful description of a person who enjoys an intimate relationship with God, and it fit David perfectly. Just samplings from the Psalms reveal s the power and quality of this relationship from David’s perspective:

“In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” – Psalm 5:3

“Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.” – Psalm 25:4-5

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make it’s boast in the Lord; the humble will heart and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together … O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” – Psalm 34:1-3, 8

“For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” – Psalm 61:3-4

“My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.” – Psalm 62:1
God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirst for You, my flesh yearns for You, I a dry and weary land where there is no water … Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You … When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” – Psalm 63:1,3,6

Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” - Psalm 86:11

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." – Psalm 91:1-2

“Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways … How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! … Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me is the everlasting way.” – Psalm 139:1-3, 17, 23-24

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands. I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land.” - Psalm 143:5-6

“On the glorious splendour of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.” – Psalm 145:5
Dwelling in God, seeking God, thinking of God, waiting in quietness before the Lord – all of these descriptions are related to Practicing The Presence Of God. I think King David summed it up well when he wrote, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
God created us for intimate relationship with Him, and we will never be satisfied with anything less. David knew this; that’s why he loved and pursued God will all his heart. The Lord has called us to do the same. . That is our purpose and our destiny.
(an extract from: The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence by James W. Goll)

Blessed week!
TPWC

PASSION FOR GOD'S DWELLING PLACE -PART 3

Let's continue to look at king David's passion for God's dwelling place. Psalm 27 was probably written when he was exiled from home and being hunted by king Saul and his men. The Psalm does reveal that David was in great danger from violent evildoers (v2) who were lying about him (v12) and wanting to kill him (v2 & v12), and Saul and his men qualified. David was confident (v3), courageous (v14) and unafraid (v1).

The secret of David's public confidence was his private obedience: he took time to fellowship with the Lord and get directions from Him. David knew that the most important part of his life was the part that only God could see, and this was one priority he would not negotiate. ONE THING (v5)- David was living in the wilderness of Judea, away from the sanctuary of the Lord, but he was still able to enter into fellowship with his God. God's house was but a tent (v5-v6), for the temple had not yet been built, but it was still referred to as "God's temple" (see 1 Samuel 1:9; 33).

King David's passion for God's presence:
a) kept him safe in the days of trouble (v5)
b) God's dwelling was his shelter (v5)
c) set him high upon a Rock - of his salvation (v5)
(an extract from Be Worshipful by Warren W. Wiersbe)

Our dwelling (or abiding) with God can be expressed in many ways: communicating through prayers, finding Him in His Word, experiencing Him through praise and worship, in fact anywhere if we learn how to "Practice The Presence of God" (See previous posts). The Psalms which are literally "songs" and singing them are one of the key into His presence (dwelling, secret place).

Let's look at some of King David's passion for God's dwelling place in the Psalms:
* Psalm 26:8 - I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.
* Psalm 42:1 to 4 - As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
* Psalm 43:3 to 4 - Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
* Psalm 52:8 - But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.
* Psalm 55:14 - But it is you, a man like myself,my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship a we walked with the throng at the house of God.
* Psalm 61:3 & 4 - For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
* Psalm 84:1 & 2 - How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
* Psalm 84:10 - Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
* Psalm 91: 1 & 2 - He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say [b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
* Psalm 92:13 & 14 - The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
* Psalm 135:1 & 2 - Praise the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD; praise him, you servants of the LORD, you who minister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.

May this song inspire you to renew that passion for

His Dwelling Place:

Stay Blessed!
TPWC

Practicing The Presence Of God - Part 3

"How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God."
Psalm 84:1-2

David, the shepherd-king of Israel, knew the secret of practicing the presence of God; his psalms clearly attest to that fact. I am constantly inspired and encouraged by the life and example of King David. If someone as thoroughly human and flawed as he could enjoy intimate fellowship with God, then I know there is hope for all of us! David made many mistakes – he was an adulterer, a murderer, and a less than effective father – yet in spite of these failings, he was a man of great faith who loved the Lord with all his heart.

The phrase “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) is a beautiful description of a person who enjoys an intimate relationship with God, and it fit David perfectly. Just samplings from the Psalms reveal s the power and quality of this relationship from David’s perspective:

“In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” – Psalm 5:3

“Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.” – Psalm 25:4-5

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make it’s boast in the Lord; the humble will heart and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together … O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” – Psalm 34:1-3, 8

“For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” – Psalm 61:3-4

“My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.” – Psalm 62:1
God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirst for You, my flesh yearns for You, I a dry and weary land where there is no water … Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You … When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” – Psalm 63:1,3,6

Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” - Psalm 86:11

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." – Psalm 91:1-2

“Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways … How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! … Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me is the everlasting way.” – Psalm 139:1-3, 17, 23-24

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands. I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land.” - Psalm 143:5-6

“On the glorious splendour of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.” – Psalm 145:5

Dwelling in God, seeking God, thinking of God, waiting in quietness before the Lord – all of these descriptions are related to Practicing The Presence Of God. I think King David summed it up well when he wrote, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
God created us for intimate relationship with Him, and we will never be satisfied with anything less. David knew this; that’s why he loved and pursued God will all his heart. The Lord has called us to do the same. . That is our purpose and our destiny.
(an extract from: The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence by James W. Goll)

Blessed week!
TPWC

Practicing The Presence Of God - Part 2

" ... In Your presence is fullness of joy;
in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

Psalm 16:11

How Do We Practice The Presence Of God?

Practicing His presence begins in our daily walk. While living out the demands of the day, we are filled with an inward worship and adoration. In the course of each day you need to begin to discipline yourself to make melody to the Lord. Begin to make melody in your heart to the Lord. It doesn’t happen. You have to start it … begin to sing to the Lord in the spirit no mater where, no matter when, no matter what the situation.

Maybe you do not play an instrument or sing. But you must say to yourself, “I am a worshiper.” Seek God as to how He desires you to worship Him. Believe it or not, for some it will be through your job that you worship Him. Your work will be such an excellent testimony and example that your co-workers will speak well or your work long after you are gone (Read Acts 9:36, 37a & 39a). Worship for many others may be through service at home and the care of what God has placed in your hands. Whatever it may be purpose in your heart to do it with all your hearts!

Let us look at Ephesians 6:18. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” You see, if you practice His presence when you are by yourself, it is not so hard to sense the presence of God when you come together with other believers. As part of being a disciplined worshiper and a disciplined life of worship, we begin to practice the presence of God. Have you ever been out somewhere when you suddenly felt like praying in the spirit? Sometime I am just walking along and all of a sudden the presence of God is there. It’s just as real as if someone were walking next to me. Then I find myself praying in the spirit. That is practicing the presence of God. You may be driving along and suddenly notice the presence of God there and begin to worship Him. You begin to practice the presence of God. You may be at home sitting and watching TV, and you feel His presence is there. Turn off the TV. It takes discipline. (I think it goes without saying that TV is one primary tools of the enemy. There are many programs out there now that will really leave you vexed in your spirit).

There are other things that God may be speaking to you right now. You need to make a decision to be disciplined in a certain area or let a certain thing go if you want to move into where the Levities, the sons of Zadok (Ezekiel 44:15-16), were and come in and minster to Him unhindered.

"The priests of the Levi tribe who are descendants of Zadok the priest were faithful to me, even when the rest of the Israelites turned away. And so, these priests will continue to serve as my priests ...They will come into my temple, where they will offer sacrifices at my altar and lead others in worship." (Ezekiel 44:15-16 CEV)

This is where we want to be - because we have lived the disciplined life of a worshiper, because we choose to practice the presence of God, we can enter into His presence unhindered.

But it is a matter of setting aside the time to get into God's presence and to practice His presence. When you learn to practice His presence, you know God is there. You know when He is moving. And, because of that, when more than one of us comes with a holy expectancy, it changes the whole atmosphere of the room.
(an extract from: The 2nd Flood - The Discipline of Worship by John W. Stevenson - http://www.jwstevenson.com )

Blessings

TPWC

Practicing The Presence Of God - Part 1

"I Make It My Priority
To Presevere In His Holy Presence,
Wherein I Maintain A Simple Attention
And Fond Regard For God"
- Brother Lawrence

Most of us are familiar with - The Practice of the Presence of God: The Original 17th Century Letters and Conversations of Brother Lawrence. (http://www.practicegodspresence.com)
Brother Lawrence (1614 to 1691) was a monk who serve in the monastry's kitchen - today is most commonly remembered for the closeness of his relationship with God, as recorded in this little book. He spent almost all of his adult life in solitude, poverty, and obscurity within the walls of a priory. He was known for profound peace and high commitment to Jesus Christ. He cared not for the worldly status of his tasks, but the motivation behind it. "We can do little things for God," he wrote. "I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God." Generations after his death, this book has become one of the most popular Christian books in history. It was often quoted by John Wesley and A.W. Tozer, and today tens of millions of copies are in circulation.

Being in the presence of the Lord could arguably be considered the single most important part of our lives. While in a sense, it is always with us and we cannot live without it, we find ourselves hungering for it more and more.

While God is omnipresent, and His presence is always with us, we continue to long for an encounter with the presence of God. When we talk about experiencing the presence of the Lord, we are talking about the realization of His manifest presence – of perceiving His presence and being conscious of Him.

{Ominipresence describes His being in all places. David speaks of it when he writes, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" (Psalm 139:7). David went on to say, "If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to theplace of dead, you are there. I could ask the darkness I cannot hide from you. (verse 8) This speaks of the Lord's promise to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Though we cannot sense this presence, it doesn't negate His being there. We are just unaware of it.

The second presence Scripture defines as His manifest presence, The word manifest means to bring from the unseen, or unknown into the seen, heard, or known. The manifest presence of the Lord was what Moses passionately desired (Exodus 33:12-33). This is when God reveals Himself not just to our spirits, but it is when our mind and senses become aware of His nearness as well. It is when His knowledge is revealed to our minds. This is the presence Jesus spoke of when He said, "I will love him and manifest Myself to him." (John 14:21) }
{ an extract from - Drawing Near by John Bevere}

God can manifest His presence in various ways. In Scriptures some saw Him, others heard His voice without seeing Him, while others sensed His nearness and immediately knew things they'd never known before because of His revelation. But one thing is certain, when He comes, you know it, you'll sense Him within your inner-most being, and know He is there

Practicing His presence through worship is one of the most valuable things we can do. God has promised that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8) and we will experience His presence in ever increasing measures. The key is to experiencing His manifest presence is that we first draw near to Him ... and He will draw near to us! We determine the level of our relationship with God.

How do we practice the presence of God? - Part 2

Blessings
TPWC