Living In God's Presence
Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers,
asking for everything you need.
Ephesians 6:11

How can I live God's presence? Can I detect His unseen hand
on my shoulder and His inaudible voice in my ear? How can we grow familiar with
the voice of God? Here are a few ideas taken from JUST LIKE JESUS by Max Lucado:
Give God your waking thoughts. Before you face the day, face the Father. Before
you step out of bed, step into his presence.
Give God your waiting thoughts. Spend time with him in silence.
Give God your whispering thoughts. . . . Imagine considering every moment as a
potential time or communion with God.
Give God your waning thoughts. At the end of the day, let your mind settle on
him. Conclude the day as you began it: talking to God.
OK, now go out into this week living in the presence of God!
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Jesus Knows Our Pain
Matt 27:34 “There they offered Jesus wine mixed with a bitter
substance; but after tasting it, he would not drink it.” (TEV)

The high priest in the Old Testament, when he was
ministering in the tabernacle or the temple, was warned not to drink strong
drink. When our Lord Jesus Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice for sin, He
did not want in any way to be identified with strong drink. No, He was in full
control of Himself. He was the suffering Son of Man.
Do you know what this means for us today? It means that Jesus Christ is able to
empathize completely with us; He is able to identify with our pain and our need
and our hurt.
Wherever we go, we find people who are hurting. There is physical pain, there is
emotional pain, and there are spiritual burdens and battles. My Lord, the
suffering Son of Man who cried, "I thirst," has identified Himself with our
every need. That encourages me to pray. It encourages me not to quit, because I
can come at any time to the throne of grace and find grace to help in the time
of need. Remember Hebrews 4:15? There we read, “Our High Priest is not one who
cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest
who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin” (TEV).
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God's Instruction Book
1 Peter 1:24-25 "All men are like grass, and all their glory is
like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord stands
forever."

Recently, coming home from work, I got off the train behind
a college student carrying the obligatory backpack. Among the buttons he was
displaying was one reading,
“Study evolution,
learn science.”
I felt like tapping him on the shoulder and saying,
“Study creationism,
learn truth”
but I didn’t, it didn’t seem to be the right time and place.
Then I thought, how many of us who believe the Bible is truly God’s Word read
and obey it? In his book Living Above the Level of Mediocrity Charles Swindoll
wrote,
“God offers instruction, but then it's our move. We must accept His instruction
and apply it to our lives. Then, and only then, can we expect to cash in on the
benefits of His instruction. So you see, application is the essential link
between instruction and change. . . .
“God has sent us His instruction. He has preserved every word of it in a book,
the Bible. It's all there, just as He communicated it to us. When He returns for
His own, He isn't going to ask us how much we memorized or how often we met for
study. No, He will want to know, ‘What did you do about my instructions?’"
How about it, what have you done with His instructions?
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Celebrate Life
Ps 90:12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom. (NLT)

Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to
number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (NIV) The Hebrew
text suggests that we correctly "account" for our days. Charles Swindoll wrote
in his book, STRENGTHENING YOUR GRIP, “I find it interesting that we are to view
life by the days, not the years. We are to live those days in such a way that
when they draw to a close, we have gained "a heart of wisdom." With the Lord God
occupying first place in our lives we accept and live each day enthusiastically
for Him. The result will be that "heart of wisdom" the psalmist mentions. . . .
“Because we cannot alter the inevitable, we are to adjust to it. And we do that
not a year at a time, but a day at a time. Instead of eating our heart out
because a few more aches and pains have attached themselves to our bodies, we
determine to celebrate life rather than endure it. Aging isn't a choice. Bur our
response to it is. In so many ways we ourselves determine how we shall grow
old.”
So let’s have a celebration. Let us celebrate the life God has give us and live
it to the fullest by the power of His Holy Spirit.
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Living in the Land of the Living
Ps 142:5 I cry to you, O Lord;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living." (NIV)

How are you doing? Really now, how joyful is
your walk in this world? How much do you experience of the living God daily?
David Jeremiah wrote:
"David would have agreed with the old
African-American preacher who said, 'There's no living in the land of the living
like living on the living God.' That preacher was right. The land of the living
is not a reference to eternity or heaven. It is a reference to living right now.
The Bible is written for people who are living in the -and of the living, not
for people who dream of 'pie in the sky by and by.'
"The land of the living is where you and I live every day. We rise and face the
challenges that the living face, and God is our portion in that land. He does
not remove us from the land where we live in order to help us. Rather, He joins
us where we are—our private world, our family, our job, our church—to meet our
needs. The God of David is our God, and He is still our refuge and our portion."
So go forth with God. Worship Him daily. Thank
Him for His constant presence. "There's no living in the land of the living like
living on the living God."
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Peace Like a River
Isaiah 48:18 “If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of
the sea.”

In our world we are constantly being bombarded
by advertising of one kind or another. Companies pitch products to us telling us
about their features and benefits. Features are the characteristics of a product
or service. Benefits are those things that directly benefit us when we use the
product or service. For instance, a new computer may have incredible speed and
large memory. These are features. These features allow me to do things quicker
and easier which are the benefits of those features. And people are usually more
concerned about the benefits – what it will do for me – than they are of the
features.
In Isaiah 48:17 God tells us there are some direct benefits to the features of
His character. He is the God who is committed to teaching His children in the
way they should go. The verse reads, "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you
what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” The benefit of
this “feature” is given in the next verse, verse 18, “If only you had paid
attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your
righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
He tells us that the “benefit” to allowing Him to teach us and lead us in His
way is “peace” and “righteousness.” Here is a guaranteed promise from God. You
will have peace like a river and righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Are you trusting God with the details of your life so He can lead you in the way
you should go? Are you allowing Him to teach you from His word? Allow the Lord
to control your life, to teach you His way, and watch as He given peace like a
river and waves of righteousness in your soul.
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Quiet Please
Isa 30:15 “…in quietness and confidence is your strength…" (TLB)

We live in a noisy world. The roar of jet
aircraft, the clatter of air hammers, MP3 Players, cell phones, transportation,
Televisions, radios and countless other sounds bombard us constantly. This
affront to the nervous system and the additional sounds we can control are bound
to drain our energies. Radios, televisions, and music systems have their place,
but they must never crowd out those renewing times of quiet solitude.
Centuries ago, Isaiah wrote, "In quietness and in confidence shall be your
strength" (KJV). Spiritual renewal comes through silent waiting on God. His Word
and the inner witness of His Spirit assure us of His unfailing love; they tell
us where we've gone astray, and how to get back. They show us what new direction
to take. But they always speak softly.
Do we escape from silence into a world of sound? Are there "speakers" in our
lives that are tearing us down? If so, that may be the reason we cannot hear
the. one Speaker whose gentle voice builds us up.
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How Much Do I Love Jesus?
1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even
though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy

Every so often we should take a personal
spiritual inventory of our relationship with God. One of the questions we should
ask ourselves is, “How much do I really love Jesus?” You may not always pleased
with the results of this spiritual inventory. Use Luke 7:36-38 as a measuring
stick of your love for Him. The woman in this passage is a great example of what
true love for Jesus looks like.
Her love for Jesus was bold (v.37). Her expression of love for Jesus seemed to
break all the cultural rules of that day. But she didn’t care who saw her or
what people said about her. She wanted to show Jesus how much she appreciated
His forgiveness. How bold is your love? Do you let cultural norms prevent you
from showing Jesus how much you love Him?
Her love for Jesus was emotional (v.38). She was overcome with emotion because
Jesus had shown her much love and forgiveness. When you experience God’s great
forgiveness in your life, you can’t help but show it outwardly. When was the
last time you reflected on how much God loves you and has forgiven you? If you
do, you may not be able to contain the emotions that well up inside of you.
Her love for Jesus was more than respect. In this story, Luke plays two people
off one another. Simon, the Pharisee, respected who Jesus was, but he didn’t
truly love Him. True love is different from respect. True love expresses itself
in tangible ways. I have to ask myself periodically: “Do you simply respect
Jesus as a good teacher and leader, or do you truly love Him as Savior and
Lord?”
Her love for Jesus was sacrificial. Simon didn’t even do what was required or
expected (vv.44-46). This woman gave everything she had to show her love for
Jesus (v.47). What have you given up lately to show your love for Him?
Take time for your own personal spiritual inventory today—test your love for
Jesus.
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Cleansed From Sin
1 John 1:7 …the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all
sin.” NASB

Dear Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, are
you worried about your sins being forgiven? If so read what Charles Spurgeon had
to say about our forgiveness as he comments below on the verse for today.
“Cleanses,” says the text – not “shall” cleanse.” There are multitudes who think
that as a dying hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh, how infinitely better
to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility of forgiveness when
I come to die. Some imagine that a sense of pardon is an attainment only
obtainable after many years of Christian experience. But forgiveness of sin is a
present reality – a privilege for this day, a joy for this very hour. The moment
a sinner trusts Jesus he is fully forgiven. The text, being written in the
present tense, also indicates continuance; it was “cleanses” yesterday, it is
“cleanses” today, it will be ‘cleanses´ tomorrow. This is the way it will always
be with you, Christian, until you cross the river; every hour you may come to
this fountain, for it cleanses still…Our iniquity is gone, all gone at once, and
all gone forever.”
Are you reading this devotional today and you do not know the forgiveness that
Jesus offers? If so, click here to
find out how you too can know the full cleansing power of the Savior.