Soaking in the presence of the Lord begins with becoming aware of your eternal Father who is there all the time. His Spirit, His presence, is like oxygen: you can’t sense it with your five natural senses, but it’s all around you, and you can’t live without it. According to Jeremiah 23:23-24, God’s presence is everywhere; He fills heaven and earth. But all too often you are unaware of His presence because you are not fully living and walking in the Spirit, which is your inheritance. Unhurriedly staying for a while in His presence changes you in the same way that fabric soaking in dye changes its appearance, or a cucumber soaking in brine changes its flavor. When saturation occurs, you will never be the same. You are eternally transformed.
When you soak in His presence, you become aware of His attributes. All of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience toward others, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) become accessible to you, but the greatest of these is love. This kind of love is inexpressible, no mere words can contain it—it gives you everything you need and crave in your innermost being. Then the healing begins. Things you couldn’t put right for yourself become adjusted as His manifestation fills your empty places and reveals to you His passion for your soul.
As God’s peace envelops you, all the looming possibilities that are suggested or threatened by the darkness collapse as the light of the Lord’s countenance shines on you. You are set free from bondage to fear, and faith takes its place. Deep trust comes and grows deeper the longer you remain in that place.
Staying in the awareness of His presence inspires you to grow up in Him. His presence pours out the grace to overcome your fleshly immaturity—the grace to become all that He made you to be—the grace to walk as a mature “son” of your Father. It’s like entering into the family business as a partner, doing business on your Father’s behalf with His guidance and blessing.
Perhaps you will hear a message from His heart in your spirit: words of comfort, instruction, direction. Or maybe it will be an impression that comes without words; you will have an idea, perhaps a concept, a revelation that can close a door from the past and open a new one for your future. Hope is ignited in your soul. The need that you couldn’t put into words is met, and your faith steps up to accept that God is all you need.
In Him is life—it exudes from Him and penetrates your soul, freeing you from the wages of sin. Truth pours out from Him and destroys lies. Your heart becomes assured and at rest in this confidence: that because He is all His Word says He is, then you are also all He says you are. As you rest in His Presence, He resets you, from glory to glory.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit points out a place in your life where your old nature that was crucified with Christ is still trying to operate. He ministers an upgrade into that area, helping you to possess a share of the divine nature because He lives within you, and the old ways wither out of existence. As God cleanses your imagination, your mind is renewed and you begin to grow in the prophetic.
Being present in the presence of God in the present opens a window into eternity. You may be caught away to view the glories of your eternal home. You could have visions of biblical events in the past, or the future.
In His presence comes the revelation of God’s call on your life. You begin to feel His heart for the lost as His love compels you to share your life in Him with your neighbor or a stranger. Perhaps He will put a nation or people group on your heart, and intercession for His outpouring will come from deep within you, making a difference in the spirit realm over those people. Perhaps He will lead you to go somewhere in His service and the grace that comes from His presence will cause joyful obedience to well up inside you.
The Holy Spirit fills and refills you, each time transforming your walk and relationship with Him, as you practice His presence.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you from God your Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ as you make His presence a priority in your life. {eoa}
Sharon Buss is the president of End-Time Handmaidens and Servants, Intl., a company of committed, Holy Spirit-Filled believers in Jesus Christ with a vision for the nations, dedicated to prayer and fasting for building the kingdom of God. Sharon has a passion for the presence of God and endeavors to cultivate it wherever she goes. She has traveled extensively throughout the world ministering God’s Word and leading His people into worship.
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