In His Presence
By Caron Cline
Burke County
As a new year arrives, most spend a few moments reflecting on those goals or desires from the previous year that were long forgotten by the end of the first quarter. Now is the time to renew those resolutions with a fresh commitment to follow through. Unfortunately, most goals focus entirely on weight loss, completion of projects at home or work, and regular exercise. While all are worthy pursuits, spiritual goals are the most crucial and transforming. The most important resolution for a believer is an intentional pursuit of intimacy with God the Father. He desires that we come expectantly and alone into the secret place of His presence so that He might reveal Himself and His character more fully. He desires that we quiet ourselves before Him, soaking in His presence and listening for His Voice. If we choose to spend time in the secret place, His power will fall upon us. In Acts 1:4, Jesus commanded His disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised. Acts 2:1 says that these people were waiting together, in one place, on the Day of Pentecost. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit was manifested through the sound of a mighty wind and tongues of fire. Every believer witnessed this supernatural event and each one was filled with the power of the Spirit. Jesus had promised this gift previously and in Acts 1:5, He said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now”. We receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of our conversion, but the fullness of the Spirit only happens as we soak in His Presence, one on one with the One who called us as His special possession. We must ask for His filling; we must hunger and thirst for righteousness; we must position ourselves for an ever-continuing transformation that moves us from glory to glory.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit”. Paul has been speaking about the fact that there is a veil over the minds of unbelievers. Once a person turns to Jesus for salvation, that veil is taken away and with its removal, the spirit of that individual, once dead in trespasses and sins, is resurrected to new life. Freedom has come and along with it the ability to understand spiritual things; supernatural things; freedom to enter into the Holy of Holies and experience the Presence of God. Intimacy is God’s desire for every child and it is in the secret place where we become vulnerable, or naked, before our Father. The Holy Spirit will bring to our minds the issues, secret sins, and fears that hinder our relationship with Him, but it is up to us whether or not we will agree with His assessment and repent. We will not be released nor have victory over those issues until we allow Him to cleanse us. We must surrender everything, including our own will, that hinders our worship. Only then will we behold Him to become like Him. We live in defeat when we refuse to spend time alone with God. As we enter the secret place, the Holy Spirit also reminds us of God’s Promises toward us; He reminds us of the needs in our world, our nation, our city, our church, our family; He reveals our spiritual gifts and how to use them; He comforts us in times of distress; He reveals God’s will for our lives. The Holy Spirit will reveal the secrets of the Kingdom of God; the mysteries of heaven. He will never leave us or forsake us. We can be confident that every promise of God is Yes and Amen through Christ. Last, but not least, the Holy Spirit within us is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. In His presence, we are infused with the confidence of our eternal destiny; our future inheritance in heaven. Do you want to experience the power of the Presence of God?
Position yourself! Get into the secret place and open your spirit, soul, and body to all that your Father desires to bestow upon you. Release anything that hinders the complete filling of the Spirit. Spending time alone at the feet of Jesus will guarantee a life that moves from glory to glory; a life that will never be the same!
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Caron is a follower of Jesus Christ and a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Morganton, NC. She loves to teach the word of God.
Her desire is to see every believer grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
You can read more Christian News from Caron HERE.
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