Abiding in Christ Illustrated

In my previous article I explained from Scripture The Practice of Abiding, and today I would like to give some illustrations of why that practice is so important.

Noah in the Ark

In a previous article, I showed from Scripture that Noah's Ark is a Type of Christ. Rather than rewrite that short article here, I recommend you read it. In it I showed how the ark taught us the importance of remaining in Christ.

Although God sent a flood in His wrath to destroy every living creature on the face of the earth, He spared Noah and his family, because he found Noah to be blameless and righteous. He instructed him to build an ark of gopher wood and to enter it at the appointed time before the rain began. Of course, God sent all of the animals, two-by-two, male and female, into the ark with Noah, where they were spared along with Noah and his family, so that they could repopulate the earth afterward. This demonstrates how God recognized the borders of the ark's framework, so that everyone inside that framework was spared. However, every living creature outside the ark perished in the flood. It illustrates again the importance of remaining in Christ.

As I stated in that article: "You need to be in Christ the ark...and remain in Him, so that you will be saved from the wrath of God. If you already know Christ, be sure you stay in Him, and do not wander away..."

Israelites in Goshen
When Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, God sent plagues on the Egyptians so that Pharaoh would let the Hebrews go. As most people who have read the Bible know, there were ten plagues, which were judgments from the Lord, and the last seven of those did not affect the people of God, who were living at that time in the land of Goshen. The Lord said:

"But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that I, the LORD, am in the midst of the land. I will put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur."' (Exo 8:22-23)

This again demonstrates how the Lord recognizes borders and honors His Word when He promises to protect those within those borders. In this case the borders were around the land of Goshen in Egypt, and they illustrate how the Lord in the same manner protects those who remain in Christ.

Passover in the House
Immediately before Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God sent the tenth and final plague on Egypt, which was the death angel.

Moses said, "Thus says the LORD, 'About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 'Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 'But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.'" (Exo 11:4-7)

The Lord told Moses to instruct the Hebrews that each household should kill a lamb at twilight and apply it's blood to their house for protection from the death angel.

'For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." (Exo 12:12-13)

This demonstrates how the Lord kept His promise to protect all the Israelites who were inside their homes with the blood of the lamb applied to them. He honored the borders of their homes and the blood that was applied there. Ever since then, in obedience to the Lord, Jews around the world have celebrated this event every year. Of course, the Passover lamb was a type of Christ, the Lamb of God, who shed His blood on the cross to pay the price for our sins. Just as the Israelites had to shed the lamb's blood and put it on their dwelling place, and then remain in it, we need to have the blood of Jesus Christ applied to our hearts and remain in Christ in order to be saved, so that we will not perish with the wicked. It's another wonderful illustration of abiding in Christ.

Rahab in Her House
When Joshua was leading the children of Israel into the promised land, he sent two spies to reconnoiter the land, especially Jericho. During that mission, they were hidden by a prostitute named Rahab, whose home was in the city wall. After completing their mission, she asked them to make an oath to spare her life whenever they would eventually return to destroy Jericho. She said:

"'Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.' So the men said to her, 'Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.'" (Jos 2:12-14)

"The men said to her, 'We shall be free from this oath to you which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father's household. It shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.' She said, 'According to your words, so be it.' So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window." (Jos 2:17-21)

As agreed, Rahab left the scarlet cord tied in her window, and her family was inside her home when the Israelites destroyed Jericho. As the spies promised, the Israelites honored their word and spared Rahab and her family who were in the house. They did not kill them with the rest of the people of Jericho, but everyone else they destroyed.

"They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword. Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, 'Go into the harlot's house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.' So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel." (Jos 6:21-23)

This demonstrates once again how the Lord honors verbal promises and the borders of a home. He protected Rahab and all of her family who were within the walls of that residence. It illustrates for us how the Lord in the same way protects from destruction and saves all those who remain in Christ.

Incidentally, in God's wonderful plan Rahab became the wife of Salmon, the great-grandfather of King David, and ancestor of Christ (Matthew 1:4-5 and Luke 3:32). Not only did the Lord save Rahab and her family, but He gave her a place of great honor in the lineage of Christ. And the apostle recognized her in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11.

People in the Ship
Another illustration is when Paul the apostle was being taken as a prisoner for Christ to Rome by a centurion. The ship had encountered serious trouble in a major storm at sea and all hope of being saved was given up by the ship's owner and crew, as well as the passengers on board. But Paul did not give up hope. He stated:

"Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on a certain island." (Act 27:22-26)

Watch what the sailors did to try and save their lives their own way, rather than the way God promised through His angel. 

"But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land. They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak. But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved." Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away." (Act 27:27-32)

Remember that the angel told Paul that the Lord promised to save the lives of all those sailing with him on the ship. He did not promise to save those who tried to save themselves, nor did He promise to save those who disembarked the ship before the appointed time. They had to trust in God's promise given by His holy angel to His apostle that night and remain on board the ship in order to be saved. And God honored His promise by saving all two hundred seventy-six persons aboard. (Act 27:37). "And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land." (Ac 27:44b).

This demonstrates the faithfulness of God to honor the borders of a sailing vessel and keep His Word to save those who remained aboard the ship. It also beautifully illustrates the importance of remaining in Christ and trusting in Him to save us, rather than trying to save our own selves some other way. As with Noah's ark, the Adramyttian ship is another great picture of the practice of abiding. 

Putting it All Together
As we have seen, the Lord sets boundaries on His promises of salvation. He promised to rescue those inside the ark, those in Rahab's house, the Israelites in the land of Goshen, the firstborn of every Israelite family inside the house covered by the blood of the lamb, and the people in the ship with Paul. The promise of salvation according to the New Covenant is to those who repent and believe in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Those who do so must abide in Christ to the very end in order to inherit the promise. If they do not abide in Christ, they cannot be saved.

Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you." (Joh 15:4). In other words, if you remain in Him, He will remain in you. You must remain in His love by keeping His commands (Joh 15:9-10). However, He warned those who do not remain in Him. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned." (Joh 15:6).

Let's keep that in perspective and let the illustrations I cited serve as vivid reminders of our need to abide in Christ always.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 

Author's Note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other articles of mine, such as The Practice of Abiding, Noah's Ark is a Type of Christ, The Conditional Security of the Believer, As the Still, Fair Court, Practicing the Presence of the Lord, In the Shelter of the Most High, The Lord is Near, and Walking in the Light of His Presence, which are available through the Home page of this blog. I also recommend Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell, One thing, and Fruit in Every Season. Also see my daughter's poems called Connected to the Vine. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Practice of Abiding

One thing about grapes is that they are highly perishable and they have a limited lifespan once they are removed from the vine. That's a great illustration of our need as followers of Christ to abide in the vine. Let's take a look together at what the Scriptures say about abiding.

Abiding in Christ
First there is the need not only to enter into a relationship with Christ, but to abide in Him and in the Father. He said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."  (Joh 15:4-10)

The Greek word for “abide” is “meno,” meaning “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for).” (Strongs)

Jesus also said, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." (Joh 6:56)

The apostle John said, "The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."  (1Jn 2:6)

"As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father."  (1Jn 2:24)

"As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." (1Jn 2:27-28)

"No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him." (1Jn 3:6)

"The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."  (1Jn 3:24)

"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."  (1Jn 4:13)

The Father Abiding in the Son
Jesus said, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works."  (Joh 14:10)

The Holy Spirit Abiding in Us
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you."  (Joh 14:16-17)

God Abiding in Us
"No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us."  (1Jn 4:12)

"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."  (1Jn 4:15-16)

God’s Seed Abiding in Us
"No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1Jn 3:9)

God’s Word Abiding in Us
"I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one."  (1Jn 2:14)

Abiding Forever
"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." (1Jn 2:17)

Abiding in the Light
"The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him." (1Jn 2:10)

Those Who Do Not Abide
"They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." (1Jn 2:19)

Abiding in Death
"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death." (1Jn 3:14)

Putting it All Together
Jesus always abides in the Father and the Father in Him. The Father abiding in Jesus does His works.  We must abide in Christ, and He in us. You cannot bear fruit unless you abide in Christ. You can do nothing apart from Him. If you abide in Christ and He in you, you will bear much fruit. If anyone does not abide in Christ, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Christ, and His words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

He who eats the flesh of Christ and drinks His blood abides in Him, and Christ in him. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. Abide in Christ’s love by keeping His commandments. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. Abiding requires you walk in the same manner as Jesus walked. No one who abides in Him sins. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin.

The one who loves his brother abides in the Light. If we love one another, God abides in us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. He who does not love abides in death. Let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.

The word of God abides in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.  The anointing which you received from Him abides in you. Abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.  The one who does the will of God abides forever.

We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. You know the Holy Spirit because He abides with you and will be in you.

Those who do not abide with us are not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us.

Notice the repetition of the word “if” in these verses.  The word “if” occurs six times in the Bible in connection with abiding.  That means it is a condition that must be met.  Some of the conditions are: IF you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. IF you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.  IF we love one another, God abides in us. IF what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.  IF they had been of us, they would have remained with us. IF anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

Jesus said, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mat 5:48).  In order for your walk with God to be perfect, these conditions must be met.  Eternal life in heaven is not automatic but conditional.  It is conditional upon our abiding in Christ and in His love, upon eating His flesh and drinking His blood, and upon our loving one another, and upon His Spirit in us, and upon doing the will of God, walking in the same manner as Jesus walked, and keeping His commandments. Let this be an encouragement to us all to do these things.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 

Author's Note:  If you enjoyed this post, please check out David Wilkerson's message on A Conspiracy of Interruptions!  You may also like the other articles of mine, such as Abiding in Christ Illustrated, The Conditional Security of the Believer, As the Still, Fair Court, Practicing the Presence of the Lord, In the Shelter of the Most High, The Lord is Near, and Walking in the Light of His Presence, which are available through the Home page of this blog. I also recommend Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell, One thing, Fruit in Every Season, Led by the Spirit, For the Glory of God Alone, The Obedience of Faith, The Knowledge of the Holy, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. Also see my daughter's poems called God Will Meet You There, Connected to the Vine, and The Glory of God, as well as this song about His presence by Mercy Me, called Here with Me. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Recognizing Jesus

Today I want to share with you about the time that two of Jesus' disciples were walking along the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-33). This was immediately following Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. They were sad, because they did not understand what had happened to Jesus. As Jesus walked up to them and began traveling with them, they did not recognize Him.

How is it the disciples could not recognize Jesus? They had seen Him many times before and knew what He looked like. Did Jesus change His appearance, or did He change their ability to recognize Him? What changed – them or Him?

The Scriptures give us the answer: “But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.” (Luk 24:16). You see, it was their ability to recognize Him that was changed. Later, He enabled them to recognize Him. It says, “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.” (Luk 24:31). So the Lord has the ability to prevent us from recognizing Him when He is present, and He also has the ability to open our eyes to recognize Him as well.

Just as with these disciples, there are times when He allows us to sense Him in a very tangible way. When He does, it's absolutely wonderful and reaffirms our faith. Yet even when we don’t recognize Him, He is always with us as believers. He said, “And I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20). We walk by faith, not by sight or by feelings. During those times when we don't feel Him with us, we should dial up that awareness of His presence by faith. We need to trust that He lives in our hearts and will never leave us nor forsake us. 

And when He lives in your heart, you want to share Him with others around you. You do this with a combination of words and actions. The question is, when was the last time someone recognized Jesus in you? 

Since Jesus can open people's eyes to recognize Him, then He can just as easily open their eyes to recognize Him in us. So why not begin to pray this for specific people in your life, like your family and friends. You can even pray this for the people you have brief interactions with in the market place. You may not have time to sit and share the gospel with some people. But you can pray that during your brief time with them, such as at the check out line, that Jesus would enable them to recognize Him in you. Then live your life in such a way that they will see your good deeds and glorify the Father in heaven.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image used by permission from John Tussey.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog, such as Practicing the Presence of the Lord, which are available through the Home page of this blog. Also see my daughter's poem called "The Glory of God," and this song about His presence by Mercy Me, called Here with Me. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Times of Refreshing in the Presence of the Lord

The Lord Jesus promised to be with His people always, when He said, "And I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mt 28:20). It's true that we do not always physically sense Him with us. But there are times when He allows us to sense His presence, and it is so wonderful!

The apostle Peter said, "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; (Act 3:19). I cannot imagine what life would be like without the presence of the Lord. It would be so empty. And if I knew that I would never again sense the presence of the Lord, it would be the worst possible thing that could ever happen. It would be terrifying. I would be hopeless and devastated.

I have experienced the sweet presence of the Lord so many times during the past 24 years of walking with Him that I cannot remember them all. Sometimes I sense his presence when I am in worship or prayer, and other times it may be when I am interacting with someone, such as while I am praying for them and they are physically present or on the phone with me. I’ve experienced His presence when I am preaching and teaching, when I am leading someone to Christ, and when someone is praying for me. I have also sensed His presence sometimes when a brother or sister in the Lord shares with me a word of knowledge or prophecy the Lord has given them for me. Here are some of the times of refreshing that I have personally experienced in the presence of the Lord.

September 28, 2006 – While on a missions trip to Ukraine, we visited a poor family’s farm in Nezhen. I had a word from the Lord for the hostess and felt the presence of the Lord as I gave it.

April 2007 - I sensed the presence of the Lord as I shared Jesus with an invalid lady, named Merle, who was wasting away in across the hall from my mother's room at Hanover Hill Nursing home. I prayed with her to invite Jesus into her heart as her Lord and Savior. When I came back the next day, the nurse thanked me for visiting her, and told me that she died less than ten minutes after I left her room. Praise God! 

December 7, 2008 – We attended a worship meeting at Hungarian Free Christian Fellowship in Budapest for the first time. In the meeting, the worship was free and vibrant. I sensed the presence of God immediately as the worship began.

April 5, 2009 – After the worship meeting, I had a great talk with my brother in the Lord, Gabor G. He prayed for me regarding support. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.

May 26, 2009 - While on a missions trip to Bulgaria, we had a great time of worship in Hisar. I taught on Multiplication and felt the presence of the Lord while I was teaching. Almost everyone stood to respond at the end of the message. They all want to multiply disciples and be fruitful for the Lord.

May 29, 2009 - I called my mother. She is doing ok. We talked for a while. She didn’t sound good at all. I could tell she is having difficulty talking, because her shortness of breath. I prayed for her healing and felt the presence of the Lord all over me. She was making strange sounds as I prayed, almost like weak little gasps or yells made with a quivering voice. I asked her afterward how she felt when I prayed and she said, “Good.” I went over her spiritual readiness again, and she is trusting in Jesus. I encouraged her regarding heaven and the Lord being with her right now through all this.

November 12, 2009 – My brother in the Lord, Joe Bauer, pointed out that the Hebrews consider the number 13 a blessed number. So he felt I am doubly blessed to have been born again on Feb 13 and my son Joseph was born on Feb 13. I felt the presence of the Lord as he said that.

August 2010 – My dear friend "Victor" called me to tell me that they got their official refugee status from the government, after 15 years. We had prayed for them for over a year that they would be granted this status. After our phone call ended, I rejoiced, praised God, and wept in the presence of the Lord.

September 26, 2010 - Praise God. We visited the International Church of Budapest this morning in Budapest, Hungary. We saw "Victor" there, and he showed me the refugee documents he has been given. And the ambassador to Nigeria decided to celebrate the anniversary of his country's independence at the church. It was great. He is a believer, too, and he read form God's word as well. A group of Nigerian singers got up and sang a worship song in one of the Nigerian dialects, which was great! I felt the presence of the Lord.

November 20, 2010 – Watched a video of a little girl telling the story of Jonah and felt the presence of the Lord as I watched it.

March 18, 2011 - Met with David at Spiller café in Gazdagret. It was excellent. He was very open to the things I shared with him about creation vs. evolution. Felt the presence of the Lord as I was sharing. It seemed that some of the examples I was using were hitting the mark. They seemed like words of knowledge, because he related to them and said they had actually happened to him.

May 21, 2011 - We visited a church in Hungary for the first time. At the end of the worship meeting, they were praying for the sick. The pastor asked me to come up and pray for a young lady, named Noémi, who had come forward with her mother for prayer. Her mother told me that the young lady had an obstruction in her chest that kept her from breathing freely. I prayed and sensed the presence of the Lord. I asked her if she felt better and she said she did. I asked her to take some deep breaths and she did. I asked if she felt anything while I was praying and she said, “A warmth.” Then we just took a minute to praise and thank the Lord for His healing. I confirmed that the next day she was completely healed, according to her parents.

July 10, 2011 - I felt the presence of the Lord upon me as I taught on the Supremacy of Christ at church. It felt like power from on high.

Putting it All Together
Since July of 2011, I have continued to sense the presence of the Lord more and more, as I seek His face and cry out in repentance.  The testimonies that I have written down since then are very numerous.  God is so good.  And I am so unworthy of His love, but very grateful that He cares so much about me.

If you have never sensed the presence of the Lord before, perhaps you have never come to know Him personally as your Lord and Savior and you have never invited Him into your heart. In a moment I will tell you how you can know Him.

But there may be someone else reading this who does know Him, yet you have never sensed His presence, perhaps you have never been baptized in His Holy Spirit. I want to encourage you to pray and ask the Lord to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Then wait upon Him in faith, receiving what you have prayed for. If you ask the Heavenly Father for the Holy Spirit, He will give you this gift (Mat 3:11; Mar 1:8; Luk 3:16; 24:49; Joh 1:26, 33; Ac 2:4, 33, 38; 10:45; 11:17). He knows how to give good gifts to His children. And when you receive the Holy Spirit, don’t rely on a feeling to confirm whether you have received it. You may feel Him or you may not feel anything at all. But receive Him by faith and praise Him for it.

If you know the Lord and have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, you have probably personally experienced His glorious presence. But maybe it’s been a long time since you have physically felt His presence. One thing we should do in this situation is to check our hearts and ask the Lord if there is anything in my life that is displeasing to the Lord. Is there any sin in your life that is not confessed? Is there anyone that you have not forgiven? If so, then God cannot forgive your sin! You need to release that person and forgive them. If you have done something to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit, you will not sense His presence again until you repent and ask the Lord to forgive you. But once you ask and receive His forgiveness, then He will be able to shower the Holy Spirit on you once again.

If you know you are right with God and you are walking in the Light, but it has been a while since you sensed His presence, then let me encourage you today to spend time with Him daily. Seek His face. Don’t just look for Him to give you a little touch once a week. Instead, spend time with Him daily. Get into His Word, and read lots of it daily. Pray to the Lord, and wait upon Him. Worship and praise Him, thanking Him for His many blessings in your life, including His presence. And ask Him to release His presence in your life once again. Tell Him you can’t live without it, and let Him know how much you need and desire to feel Him near. I assure you that you will receive what you ask for, if you seek Him with all your heart.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image used by permission from John Tussey.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog, such as Practicing the Presence of the Lord, which are available through the Home page of this blog. Also see my daughter's poem called "The Glory of God," and this song about His presence by Mercy Me, called Here with Me. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Practicing the Presence of the Lord

Probably one of our favorite verses in the Bible is Ps. 27:4, which talks about the presence of God, particularly the experience of it, seeking it, dwelling in it and gazing upon the beauty of the Lord. The Psalmist proclaims: "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." (Psa 27:4)

On one hand, as believers, we know God is always with us. He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” In fact, our Lord Jesus has assured us, "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:20).

On the other hand, experiencing His presence or having an awareness of it is another thing. There have been times in our own lives where God has “graced” us with a strong awareness of His presence, even when we were not necessarily seeking it. At other times, it is something we have to seek, and we believe that the Lord wants us to seek His presence at all times. This is commanded throughout Scripture in various ways. Ps. 105:4 “Seek His face always,” and in the New Testament, it’s essentially referred to as walking by or keeping in step with the Spirit.

In fact, walking in the presence of God is an essential part of that love relationship with God (loving Him with all your heart, soul, and strength) that leads to obedience. Of course, Jesus walked in an awareness of the presence of the Father while on earth.

Walking in the presence of God is not by any means something we have mastered, nor that we always seek to do. But we did do some research a while back on a person in history who continuously and successfully sought to practice and develop an awareness of the presence of God.

Brother Lawrence was a French monk, who lived during the seventeenth century. Most of us can relate to this man, because his job in the monastery was in the kitchen cooking. In the midst of seemingly menial jobs, like peeling potatoes and baking breads, he invited the presence of God.

Lawrence carried out such Biblical commands as:

• abiding in the vine (Jn. 15)
• working at all things as unto the Lord, not for men (Col. 3:23)
• giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thes. 5:18)
• praying on all occasions (Eph. 6:18)
• fixing one’s eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2)
• taking every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5)
• and countless others

As we cultivate the presence of God in our daily lives, which grows out of our daily time with the Lord, our lives will not stay the same. It will change what we do and how we do it. We will find great pleasure in it. And when temptation comes along, we probably won’t give in because we’ll be in a place of submission to God and we won’t want to grieve Him and forfeit the pleasure of being with Him.

The Scriptures have a lot to say about the presence of the Lord and its importance in our daily lives. Here are a few passages:

Some Go Out from the Presence of the Lord
Adam and Eve after they fell into sin: They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Gen 3:8)

Cain after he murdered his brother: Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Gen 4:16)

Satan when he went to harm Job: Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:12)

Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (Job 2:7)

Jonah when he disobeyed the Lord: But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. (Jon 1:3)

Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. (Jon 1:10)

We Should Function in the Presence of the Lord
Isaac blessed Jacob in the presence of the Lord: 'Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.' (Gen 27:7)

The Israelites crossed the Jordan in the Lord’s presence to possess the promised land: Moses said to them, "If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross with you over the Jordan in the presence of the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession; but if they will not cross over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan." The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, "As the LORD has said to your servants, so we will do. "We ourselves will cross over armed in the presence of the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us across the Jordan." (Num 32:29-32)

The Israelites possessed the land by the light of God’s presence: For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them. (Psa 44:3)

The Israelites ate in the presence of the Lord: "You shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. (Deu 14:23)

The Israelites ate in the presence of the Lord: "You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. (Deu 14:26)

The Priests Offered Incense in the Presence of the Lord: and put fire in them, and lay incense upon them in the presence of the LORD tomorrow; and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be the one who is holy. You have gone far enough, you sons of Levi!" (Num 16:7)

Moses and the Israelites stood in the presence of the Lord: but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God and with those who are not with us here today (Deu 29:15)

We Should Seek the Presence of the Lord Above All Else
Moses refused to go anywhere without the presence of the Lord: Then he said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. (Exo 33:15)

David sought the presence of the Lord: Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, "It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death." (2Sa 21:1)

We should pour out our hearts and lift up our hands in the Lord’s presence
"Arise, cry aloud in the night At the beginning of the night watches; Pour out your heart like water Before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him For the life of your little ones Who are faint because of hunger At the head of every street." (Lam 2:19)

The Lord sets us in His presence
He hides those who fear Him in the secret place of His presence: How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues. (Psa 31:19-20)

He sets us in His presence: As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You set me in Your presence forever. (Psa 41:12)

We should dwell in God’s presence
Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence. (Psa 140:13)

We Should Repent in His Presence and Times of Refreshing Come from His Presence
You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence. (Psa 90:8)

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; (Act 3:19)

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (Jas 4:10)

There is fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord
You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psa 16:11)

For You make him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence. (Psa 21:6)

You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. (Isa 9:3)

'YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.' (Act 2:28)

The Presence of the Lord is a Dangerous Place for the Wicked
And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (Lev 10:2)

Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the LORD and died. (Lev 16:1)

The presence of the LORD has scattered them, He will not continue to regard them; They did not honor the priests, They did not favor the elders. (Lam 4:16)

As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil-- To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! (Isa 64:2)

Mountains quake and melt like wax in the presence of the Lord
The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. (Psa 97:5)

Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence-- (Isa 64:1)

When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence. (Isa 64:3)

The Wicked Will be Shut Out of the Lord’s Presence
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2Th 1:9)

The Lord can cast us away from his presence
Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. (Psa 51:11)

You, even You, are to be feared; And who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry? (Psa 76:7)

There is no placed we can go to flee from God’s presence
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (Psa 139:7)

Access to His Presence
Jesus tore the veil to the Holiest Place from top to bottom, giving us access to His presence as part of His finished work on Calvary

”And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.” (Mat 27:50-51)

“He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30)

Putting it All Together
Some go out from the presence of the Lord in order to sin or try to hide their sin, but not the righteous.  We should always function in the presence of the Lord.  We should seek the presence of the Lord above all else.  We should pour out our hearts and lift up our hands in the Lord’s presence.  The Lord sets us in His presence, so we should dwell there continually.

Walking in the presence of God is an essential part of that love relationship with God (loving Him with all your heart, soul, and strength) that leads to obedience. We should repent and humble ourselves in His presence, so that times of refreshing will come.

There is fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord.  And for every one who comes with a contrite heart, seeking forgiveness, there is mercy and grace.

Mountains quake and melt like wax in the presence of the Lord. The wicked that do not repent will be shut out of the Lord’s presence.  The Lord can cast us away from his presence, which is why we should be so grateful for His mercy and not take it for granted.

There is no placed we can go to flee from God’s presence.

The Lord has torn the veil of the temple from top to bottom.  That means He has made a way, giving us access to His presence in the Holiest Place! He said on the cross, “It is done!”  So there’s nothing more needed.

We should ask the Lord to let His presence fall on us. We should seek His face. We should long to be found in His embrace.

As we cultivate the presence of God in our daily lives, which grows out of our daily time with the Lord, it will change what we do and how we do it.  We will find great pleasure in it. And when temptation comes along, we probably won’t give in because we’ll be in a place of submission to God and we won’t want to grieve Him and forfeit the pleasure of being with Him both now in this life and forever.

-- Len and Jennifer Lacroix

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photo used by permission from John Tussey.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog, such as Walking in the Light of His Presence. Also see my daughter's poem, called "The Glory of God." You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.