Practice the Presence of God? -- He is Already Here in You!

For a long time, I had a hard time accepting the truth revealed in Hebrews:

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

Yes, I know that God is with me, that God is for me, but still I always felt that I was on my own when it came to moving and shaking things up in the world.

Yet God the Father is actively involved in our lives, and the scriptures demonstrate this time and again:

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 12-13)

"God worketh" is present tense affirmative! God is NOW working in every believer both "to will and to do" for His good pleasure. Right away, I do not have to stress about finding out God's will for me, or even wonder if I will have the power and desire to do it!

Jesus Christ resurrected and gloried is also still working on my behalf, even now!

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8:34)

Christ is ever making intercession for the believer, declaring his eternal righteousness before the Father!

We have another active basis for this assurance, recorded for us in the apostle John's first epistle:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

The "if" in this verse is not subject to debate for the believer, for we are all "children of light" in God (cf 1 Thessalonians 5:5). Therefore, the blood of Jesus cleanses us NOW from all sin, every sin that you are thinking now, or may commit in the future, as well as all past sins. What a glorious promise, to know that we are forever righteous, never to be lost!

Right away, our Lord and Savior, who lives in us (cf Galatians 4:19; Colossians 1:27) is actively working in us and for us! He is more than present, He is active and accountable within us!

And He loves us! For ever promise and glorious legacy of the Son is also ours:

"God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit." (1 John 4: 12-13)

A little further down, John writes:

"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)

This active love is ever working in us and around us. Yet regarding our blessed standing in Christ, we find:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

"As He is, so are we in this world." And how "is" Christ? On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter declared where He is:

"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2: 32-33)

And we are there with Him:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: " (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

Rather than maintaining for myself God's presence in my life, I affirm to myself that I am with Him through Jesus Christ, in the Beloved, sitting in the place of utmost favor at the right hand of the Father.

Practice the Presence of God? He is already there, or rather here, in you! Instead, meditate on the infinitely phenomenal truth that we are hid in Christ, never to be separated, that we could not sever ourselves from Him even if we wanted to. He is actively working in us, through us, and for us on behalf of His Father and for our eternally blessed benefit!