The ABCs of Dwelling in God’s Presence

Scripture Reading: Acts 3:19

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

The ABCs of Dwelling in God’s Presence

We thank you Father for your faithfulness and for your everlasting mercies. Because of your mercies, we can dwell in your Presence. Because of your Presence, we can see correctly; the insignificant things that once consumed our thoughts become diminished and the things that you declare important become magnified. We thank you, for your Word is clear, that “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,” Psalm 91:1. We know that this secret place is indeed your Presence, where you hide us from the calamities of this world. We need to be near you, Father. Keep us in your Presence.

Dwelling in the Presence of God is a necessity. Here, we receive times of refreshing. Our sins are blotted out because the blood of Jesus that qualifies us to come into His Presence washes them away. We thank God for the provision of refreshing, cleansing, renewal, and blessing. It is easy to talk about dwelling in the Presence of God, but how is it practical? How can you and I value the need to stay in His Presence?

How can we keep from straying as we often do?

In the same way you know your ABCs and use them in your everyday life, I would like you to know the ABCs of remaining in the Presence of God.

APPRECIATE your need for His Presence. Moses was wise enough to say in Exodus 33:15, “…if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” He knew that any venture without His Presence would not succeed.

BELIEVE that His Presence is available to you through Jesus Christ. The enemy will then be unable to use your own self- condemnation to keep you away from His Presence. May God give you the grace to appreciate the need for His Presence and also to believe that His Presence is available to you through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

COMMUNICATE with God in prayer, meditation, and worship.

DEDICATE your life to Him and desire to be perpetually in His Presence. You may have to come to that place where you have tried everything else and found it false, so you can now confidently dedicate yourself to the Lord and say, “Lord, I just want to be where you are; I want to dwell daily in your Presence.”

EXPERIENCE His Presence by keeping His appointments. When you say to God, “When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I’ll do is communicate with you,” do not let your hectic schedule cause you to postpone or cancel your meeting with our Father. When you do not keep His appointment, you cannot experience His Presence.

FOCUS on Him and the fruit of the Holy Spirit as stated in Galatians 5:22–23.

GIVE to others as you have received from God through the Holy Spirit, and they will benefit immensely.

HOLINESS should be adopted as a lifestyle and God who is holy will draw nigh to you and cleanse your mind of all impurities. May God give us the grace to adopt holiness in Jesus’ name.

INSPIRATION. Your inspiration may come from reading the Word or from worship. Discover the source of your inspiration and get inspired, then, you will experience His Presence.

JOY. Commit to being joyful. Every day we face circumstances that threaten to isolate us, causing us to wallow in self-pity and analysis, and leaving us exhausted. Instead, we are to maintain that the joy of the Lord is our strength and therefore, remain joyful.

KNOW how to operate in His Presence. When you enter the King’s palace, you need to learn the appropriate behavior with which to approach the King.

LISTEN to God. We are all used to talking to God and praying, but we have not learned the art of taking the time to listen to Him. May God give us the grace to listen to Jesus.

MEDITATE on His Word.

NECESSITY. We must consider His Presence a necessity.

OVERCOME the “pull-aways,” the things that pull you away from staying in His Presence.

PERSIST in your pursuit of God.

QUESTION the things you do not understand. The Holy Spirit will explain them to you.

REVERENCE His Presence in Jesus’ name.

SENSITIVITY to the Holy Spirit will provide the avenue for Him to impart wisdom. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

THANKSGIVING to God will move you into His Presence. Adopt an attitude of thanksgiving no matter what you are going through. There are always many things for which we can thank God.

UNDERSTAND God by cultivating a relationship with Him. VALUE His Presence.

WORSHIP. Love to worship the Lord; He loves to inhabit the praises of His people.

X-RAY everything through His Presence. No matter how exciting something may seem, take it to His Presence in prayer and let it pass the test of His Presence.

YIELD to Him.

ZEAL. Cultivate a zeal for God.

Prayer Points:

I pray that God will give you the grace to assimilate the ABCs of dwelling in His Presence and implement them for your good in Jesus’ name. This, however, is only possible if you are born again and have His Holy Spirit. If you are not born again, come to God and He will come to you. Pray along with me, “Dear Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you. I confess and forsake my sins. Cleanse me from my sins with your blood.

Write my name in the book of life and keep me in the presence of God. I need His Presence.”

O Father God, as many as will say this prayer, I ask Lord that you will write their names in the book of life, and keep us all in your Presence. Bless us all with the blessings of your Presence in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.