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For those of us who sincerely desire to abide in the presence of God, there are forces at work which seek to keep us out of the presence of God. These forces are more internal than external. These are the carnal desires which are in us all, these desires have a tendency to, (in the natural sense) gravitate toward the things which look good, feel good, and makes us look good. There is nothing wrong with seeking after these things to a degree. But we must not allow our desire for these items, to hinder our relationship with God. We need God's in order to overcome the part of us (our fallen carnal nature) which has a tendency to sin in these areas. To be true overcomers we must abide in the presence of our help and strength. We cannot come before the presence of God without God's help. One of the most important prayers we can pray is to ask God to have mercy on us and help us. On the top of this list of areas we need help in, is in the area of coming into the living presence of God. Jesus said "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Jn 6;44. The Psalmist David tells us "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple", Psalm 65:4. We need to tell God that we want to know him. We want to love him. We want to learn more of him and his will for our lives. We must once and for all accept the fact, that even after salvation we must still abide in his presence, in order for his will in these areas to be accomplished in us. We should ask God to soften our hearts and give us the desire to prayerfully love, worship, and trust Him more! God will help us come before and abide in his presence. But in order for us to abide, we must first of all be willing to deal with the sin which is in our lives. It is in the presence of God where we must deal with the sinful aspects of ourselves which are hidden from human, but not divine eyes. As God tells us, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face (PRESENCE), and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land, 2nd Chrn 7:14. When you sincerely pray to God, the situations around you may not change, BUT YOU WILL. I hope this study blesses you as it has blessed me. Click on next tab to advance slides |
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THERE IS A PLACE---- When you are tired and worn from the burdens of this life and you have wearied yourself in your attempt to find rest, there is a place you can go and find rest. When your inner emptiness cries out for fullness and your lack of real fulfillment yearns for completeness, there is a place you can go. When your hope has been taken away by two unwelcomed intruders, less and ness (hope-less-ness), there is a place you can go and find hope again. When your weakness has overwhelmed your strength, confusion has perplexed your understanding, and shame has caused you to surrender your dignity and confidence, there is a place you can go. In order to see this place you must stop looking everywhere else. In order to get to this place you must accept the fact there is no place else you can go. When you have run out of places to go, there is a place you can go. All it takes to get to this place, is humility, truth, faith, and a real desire to get there. Where is this place? It's in the presence of God. 28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matt 11:28 The poem is by Allen, The invitation, to come is from Jesus ChrIst
BY Pastor A.D.WILLIAMS. |
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PRAYERFULLY ABIDING BEFORE GOD'S PRESENCE. NOT IN WORDS ONLY, BUT BY WAY OF OUR ATTITUDE AND FOCUS. When it comes to abiding in the presence of God, praying is one of the most important things we can do. Yet, for most of us, when it comes to prayer, we have trouble developing a real prayer life. There is a way this can change, but in order for you to develop and maintain an effective prayer life, our concept of what it means to pray and to have a prayer life must undergo a radical transformation. One of the greatest hindrances to us developing an effective prayer life is our view and concept of prayer. When we think of prayer we mainly think of coming before God, and throwing words at him. Once we run out of words, we feel we have lost our effectiveness in prayer. What we should do is view prayer as simply coming before the presence of God, and just abiding there (by way of attitude and focus). Our main goal should be more than merely asking for stuff. Our attitude and focus should be motivated by an honest desire to know and do His will. The fact that we are willing to just spend time with God (in his presence) is just as important as the words we say. This study will change your life for ever, as you began to realize, that there REALLY is a place you can prayerfully go, where salvation, healing, rest, hope, joy, peace, love, strength, and continual deliverance awaits. "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalms 16:11). You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray UNTIL you have prayed. |
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In the Old Testament, the item which most represented the presence of God, was the ark of the covenant. It was located in a room in the tabernacle erected by Moses, called the holy of holies. In the book of Exodus, the ark is introduced as the "ark of testimony." God gives precise instructions to the Israelites for building this small box or chest out of wood. It was covered in gold, and on the lid were two golden cherubim with their wings facing each other to form an enclosed area. This central area was called the "mercy seat," and this is where the high priest sprinkled goat's blood on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) to appease God's righteous anger. The mercy seat is where God was supposed to manifest himself as a cloud or bright light. The two stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written were housed inside the ark. These tablets were called the "law" or "testimony" of God and were tokens of God's covenant with the people of Israel. The Mercy Seat formed the cover or lid of the ark of the covenant. It was made of one piece of pure gold, being approximately 3 feet 9 inches long by 2 feet 3 inches wide. On top of the ark at each end, were two cherubim of gold facing each other but looking down toward the mercy seat with their wings touching each other as they stretched out over its top (Ex 25:10-20). We are not told in great detail exactly what the ark of the covenant looked like. Some models show the cherubim kneeling, while others show the cherubim standing. What we do know is that the wings of the cherubim were stretched out, to cover the mercy seat; the wings of the two cherubim possibly touched one another to form a complete covering. It was God's meeting place with His people through Moses, His representative. It was here that Moses went to receive God's commands and instructions for His people; and there Aaron went on the Day of Atonement as their mediator and representative. Thus both God and the children of Israel were identified with the Mercy Seat. It was God's throne and footstool in Israel; there He ruled Israel; there He met them as His covenant people upon the basis of shed blood. It was there that He manifested Himself to Israel. This was God's way of signifying that there was a place his people could go to find rest, hope and mercy.
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There is way we can come before the presence of God, and there is a way for the presence of God to come in us. The layout of the temple reveals that this is what God had in mind all along. George Kirkpatrick tells us "God has revealed this process in His design of the Tabernacle Moses built in the wilderness. God called Moses to come up into Mount Sinai. God not only gave Moses explicit instructions how to build the Tabernacle, He showed Him a pattern of the Tabernacle, and everything in the Tabernacle. "And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount. *** Exodus 25:40. The word pattern means "plan, form, construction". It also means "meaning". God revealed the meaning of His Tabernacle to Moses. As we come to an understanding of the meanings God built into His Tabernacle, then His way is opened unto us. The writer of Hebrews gives us further understanding of what God meant when He showed Moses the pattern for the Tabernacle. "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." *** Hebrews 8:5 The Tabernacle was to serve as an example and shadow of heavenly things. The heavenly things are the Spiritual things revealed in the Tabernacle. We are to view the Tabernacle through Spiritual eyes so we may know and understand God's eternal plan of salvation. While Moses was in the mount, God revealed all things concerning the Tabernacle: what to build how to build what materials to use the size of the Tabernacle which way it was to sit the skins to be used for the covering of the Tabernacle the color combinations for the decoration of the Tabernacle God also showed Moses all the instruments of worship what size they were to be what materials they should be made of God also showed Moses to make the snuffers the snuff dishes for the candlestick the pans for the ashes the shovels the basons the fleshhooks the firepans Nothing was to be of Moses' design, and there was to be no earthly architect on the job. Everything was to be of God's design. God informed Moses: "Look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount." Exodus 25:40. God not only showed Moses the design of the Tabernacle, and everything in the Tabernacle, He also showed him the completed product." |
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2nd Pet 3:9. In a loving attempt to save us, God does many things to draw us to himself (INTO HIS PRESENCE). God seeks to draw us into his presence to the point of salvation and then keep us saved, so that one day in heaven we can be in his presence forever. True salvation takes place when we come before the presence of God and God in turn fills us with his presence/spirit. Those who have the opportunity to get saved and neglect to do so, and those who were saved and chose to backslide and walk away from God, will be without excuse. When we stand before God, unprepared, he will show us all the things he did in a loving attempt to prepare us to stand before his presence for final judgment. God uses many circumstances and situations in his attempt to save us from his coming wrath. In this book we will look at many of the things God has done and is doing to help us come before his presence and abide there. God is using our life experiences to show us we need to be in his presence and his presence needs to be in us. The bible warns if we fail to come before the presence of God and get saved, we will still stand before his presence, but it will be for judgment and punishment.
WE ARE WARNED THAT THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER PLACE. THIS IS THE PLACE, GOD IN HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US SEEKS TO KEEP US OUT OF. CLICK ON THE NEXT TAB TO ADVANCE SLIDES
| And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Rev 20:15. For those who will be cast into the lake of fire, God will one day reveal to you, all he did in an attempt to draw you to his presence. He will show you how he personally called you, by speaking to your heart. God seeks to change us from the inside out, by filling our heart with his presence (his Spirit). This is why Jesus died, and the veil in the temple was ripped open. The way has been made for us to come before and abide in the presence, but many reject the call and the invitation to come. God will judge us based on all the things he did, in his attempt to bring us into his presence and our rejections of these attempts. For many of us the list is very long. God personally calls us. He uses signs. He uses other people to witness to us, even this book is another attempt by God to bring you before his presence, etc. After all of God's attempts to turn us to his presence fails, there comes a time when all which is left, is God's coming judgment. Compare what God said. Amos 4:10-12. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. When we allow our hearts to become infested with sin, and refuse to turn to God for help and deliverance. All which is left is the lake of fire. The Bible repeatedly warns us of an appointment we will all keep. We will all one day stand before the presence of God to give an account for the way we have lived our lives, and be judged accordingly. The Apostle Paul tells us "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" Heb 9:27. God is seeking to prepare us for this appointment by bringing us into his presence now and fixing, healing, delivering, and completing us before our time has ended. In this book we will look at what God has done to make it possible for us to come and abide in his presence. We will also see that for many who are saved, and living a defeated life, what is missing in their lives is their presence failing to come before the presence of God on a continual basis. In order for the presence of God to fill us, we must seek to come before his presence and open the door of our heart, and let him in. God is using our life experiences to show us we need to be in his presence and his presence needs to be in us. If we procrastinate, on allowing this to happen, it will be too late to be filled with his presence when we stand before his presence for judgment.
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NEXT INSTALLMENT---------- OVERCOMING THE DISTRACTIONS
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