February 04, 2025
There are adjustments that must be made if you desire to live in the presence of God all day long. There must be a turning from and a turning to.
TURNING FROM
Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. (Proverbs 4:14-15)
Evil is all around us. Satan makes sure that your world is filled with everything that would entice you, capture your time and attention, and pull you away from the presence of Christ.
He’ll use any device necessary and does not care what harm it does. If he can, he will seek to get you in a regular pattern so that the rut goes deep, and he knows that it will not take much to pull you away from Christ.
This is why the Proverbs are so clear: avoid it, do not pass by it, turn away from it and pass on. To abide in God’s presence we must learn how to consistently recognize the distractions (big and small) and resist them.
TURNING TO
But we cannot neglect the second half of the equation. We must turn to God and His Word. We must choose to sit at His feet, like Mary, if we are not going to be distracted, like Martha.
My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight. Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:20-23)
A presence-centered man continually places the Word of God before his eyes, knowing it is the Divine antidote to Satan’s distractions. He listens to the Lord in the morning as he begins his day, arming himself with Scripture. He memorizes and meditates on the Word throughout the day. And in His interactions with the Scripture, he is seeking to commune with God, personally and fully. His goal is not knowledge alone, but God’s presence.
He prays without ceasing, praying about everything throughout the day. He reads the Word again at night. He reads it so often that he begins to see the depth of the riches there, and it becomes not his duty but his delight.
And, in reading and meditating on God’s Words, he draws near …. and God draws near to him.
January 31, 2025
What is the greatest protection we can possibly have? Where is the wisest leadership? Who can provide for us when no one else is able? Is there one who has an inexhaustible supply? Is there somewhere we can go and be protected in every needed way from all enemies? Where our hearts can be at rest, even as the world swirls around us
January 30, 2025
How could we whittle all of human living down to its two most significant moments? It’s simple.
January 29, 2025
It is not something that everyone possesses. Sadly, most do not. It is not that it is inaccessible or unavailable, but many have not heard that it is possible or feel they are fully sufficient without it.
But for those who have recognized their need and asked God to deliver them from a life without Him, they have been given an undeniable and extraordinary gift.
