>> Blessed Christian Life
Over the last few days, I learned a significant life lesson from the Holy Spirit. During the period, I experienced the Lord's protection throughout, without which I would have broken under stress because the topic I was pondering was one of the high peak truths of Christianity.
Bible reading: 2 Cor 3:17-18
And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
Experiencing the Presence of God
1. Being in the Spirit
In my previous posts, I have explained to you about the meaning of 'being in the Spirit'. We know that God is a Spirit and those who worship Him should do it in spirit and in truthfulness. More than a theoretical knowledge, the Holy Spirit taught me how to be in the spirit subjectively over a period of several years. Being in the spirit is not about shouting and jumping and at the same time, it is not about being silent and still. In fact, it has nothing to do with the outward expressions which are but the reactions of our souls to the presence of the God. When we are filled with the Spirit, we may jump, shout or we may sit quietly as led by the Lord to respond to His presence. Hence, the endeavor here is not to perform certain activities or physical actions, rather, be in the presence of God and enjoy Him.
2. Aware of the deception
Being in the spirit is being in the reality of the Triune God. When we truly feel the presence of the Lord we are in the spirit. Earlier, I used to think that it was difficult, but that was a deception of the devil due to my inferior knowledge about God. In fact, recently I understood that this deception work might be Satan's greatest work on Earth right now. To sum it up - feeling the presence of God is both easy and difficult at the same time. Easy because He is present everywhere truly and difficult because we are distracted easily and lose our focus at the drop of a hat.
3. God is omnipresent
Since we believe in God we know that there is no place where God cannot be in His whole creation. He is not a person who is limited to the churches, but He is present everywhere. Even in the places where we think we can escape from Him with our petty sins and indulgences, God is present. I would say that losing this consciousness of the presence of the Almighty God is the curse upon mankind because of the Sin. When Adam sinned, he was cast out to a miserable and insensitive state, losing the ability to experience the presence of God continually. However, on God's part, He didn't forsake us, but throughout the centuries, He toiled to earn a set of people for Himself, who could work their way back to regain what Adam lost in the Garden of Eden. This He made possible because of what the Lord Jesus Christ had accomplished for us.
4. An illustration
Let me give an illustration to understand being in the spirit. When I am with a person in a room, I will behave in a way acknowledging the presence of that person. The more I know about the person, the more I would try to alter my behavior that suits him. If the person left, then I would relax, stretch myself and get comfortable. But if I knew that he was watching me through a CCTV camera from another room, then I will be still on my guard. There is yet another scenario that could be very apt to our today's world regarding God and our faith in Him, i.e., I am in a room, but I can't find any CCTV camera and nor there is any person. I have been told by the previous occupants that someone will be watching me while I am in the room. Now, though there is no person or cameras, I will behave in a particular manner according to our belief. I hope you are getting what I am trying to illustrate. So, being in the spirit is exercising our faith to believe in the presence of God.
Lately, when I began seeking and practicing the presence of God, I suffered a number of petty attacks from the devil. I knew that I could be doing something right here considering the increased disturbances and I continued to seek the Lord's presence. Later I came across a book, 'The practice of the presence of God', which was a compilation of the letters written by Brother Lawrence in the 17 century. Once I started reading it, I was overjoyed at the thought that a person centuries before had experienced what I had begun to understand today. Brother Lawrence constantly endeavored to live in the presence of God, and when his mind wandered, he would bring it back to focus God by leaving things that had nothing to do with God. This he had done for decades to experience a continual presence of God. Brother found real freedom and courage, which the Lord Jesus Christ had purchased for us, and he was like reliving the Garden of Eden life before the fall.
While I was learning this valuable truth, the petty devilish attacks continued but feeling the presence of God made all the difference to me. I am not alone and I don't have to be alone anywhere-anytime. An ever-present and an all-powerful God is my Father. I can depend on Him continually because He loved me to the uttermost. He is with me when I am writing this message and He is there with you when you are reading it. Amen.
To summarize, practicing the presence of God is not some kind of a mental exercise, rather it is surrendering to God wholly, trusting Him completely and making Him our goal.
Read the book 'The practice of the presence of God' for more clarity and understanding.
