Shortcut
Coram Deo – before the face of God
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?
Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the Word of God is alive:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Placing Ourselves in the Presence of God
My God, my Creator, my last End and my All! I firmly believe that thou art here present;— that I am in thee, and that thou art in me;—that thy eyes are fixed on me, as if I were the only one in the world. I adore thee, O my God! with the most profound respect of which I am capable, and unite this adoration to that which thou receivest from thy Angels and Saints in heaven, and faithful on earth.
Adorable Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! I consecrate to thee my memory, understanding and will. Grant me, I most humbly beseech thee, the attention, lights and affections, necessary to profit by this meditation.
O my most amiable Savior! Permit me to unite myself to thee, and to pray in thy name. O my Blessed Virgin Mother, my holy Angel, holy patrons and patronesses, assist me.
St. Francis de Sales’ four steps for putting yourself in the presence of God
1. [Cultivate] a lively, attentive realization of God’s absolute presence, that is, that God is in all things and all places. There is no place or thing in this world where he in not truly present…Blind men do not see a prince who is present among them, and therefore do not show him the respect they do after being told of his presence. However, because they do not actually see him they easily forget his presence, and haven forgotten it, they still more easily lose the respect and reverence owed to him. Unfortunately, Philothea, we do not see God who is present with us. Although faith assures us of his presence, because we do not see him with our eyes we often forget about him and behave as if God were far distance from us…This is why before praying we must always arouse our souls to explicit thought and consideration of God’s presence…When you prepare to pray you must say with your whole heart and in your heart, “O my heart, my heart, God is truly here!”
2. Remember that God is not only in the place where you are but also that he is present in a most particular manner in your heart and in the very center of your spirit. He enlivens and animates it by his divine presence, for he is there as the heart of your heart and the spirit of your spirit. Just as the soul is diffused throughout the entire body and is therefore present in every part of the body but resides in a special manner in the heart, so also God is present in all things but always resides in a special manner in our spirit. For this reason David calls him “the God of his heart,” and St. Paul says that “we live, and move, and are in God.” Therefore in consideration of this truth excite in your heart great reverence toward God who is so intimately present in us.
3. Consider how our Savior in his humanity gazes down from heaven on all mankind and particularly on Christians, who are his children, and most especially on those who are at prayer, whose actions and conduct he observes. This is by no means a mere figment of the imagination but the very truth. Although we do not see him, it remains true that from on high he beholds us.
4. The fourth method consists in the use of simple imagination when we represent to ourselves the Savior in his sacred humanity as if he were near us, just as we sometimes imagine a friend to be present and say, “I imagine that I see such a one who is doing this or that,” or “I seem to see him” or something similar. If the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is present, the Christ’s presence is real and not purely imaginary. The species and appearance of bread and like a tapestry behind which our Lord is really present and sees and observes us, although we do not see him in his own form. Do not use [these techniques] all at once, but only one at a time and that briefly and simply.
4 Ways To Experience The Glorious Presence of God Today
November 30, 2018 by Stephen Altrogge
https://theblazingcenter.com/2018/11/presence-of-god.html
Question: should we actively seek to experience the presence of God on a daily basis?
Depending on your background, that question may send you into a freak-out spiral or cause you to long for God in a deeper way.
The reality is that when we talk about experiencing the presence of God, things can get real weird real fast. Suddenly, we’re in the realm of the subjective. Of feelings. Of supernatural experiences that go beyond the daily norm.
Or are we?
If you’ve been around the church for any length of time, you’ve probably encountered at least some skin-crawling weirdness around the subject of experiencing the presence of God (see Benny Hinn, Toronto Revival, heavenly glitter, etc.).
But I don’t think it has to be this way. In fact, as I read Scripture, I’m convinced that God wants us to truly experience his presence on a daily basis. We just need to reshape the conversation regarding what it means to experience God’s presence.
With that mind, here are four simple, utterly ordinary, utterly profound ways we can enjoy the presence of God every day.
#1 – We Are Always In The Presence Of God
Let’s start with the most obvious one. Because God is omnipresent, we are always in his presence. Ponder that with me for a second and see if it doesn’t cause a shiver of delight to wrap around your spine. Every second of every day, we truly are in the presence of God.
We don’t need to do any special rituals or make a pilgrimage to a holy city. No need to handle relics or offer prayers to the saints.
We always live Coram Deo – before the face of God.
But because we are in Christ, this reality goes even deeper. We are not just in the presence of God in the same way that the rest of creation is. Rather, the presence of God has made his home in us. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in us, and we truly are temples of God.
This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?
These are absolutely breathtaking words. God’s presence – the same presence that caused Isaiah to fall on his face in terror – is not out there somewhere. If we are in Christ, the presence of God truly is within us, and we have access to this glorious presence at all times through Christ our mediator.
Isn’t this staggeringly good news? The presence of God is not walled off by a massive curtain, not hidden away inside the Holy of Holies, accessible only by the High Priest once a year. The Holy Spirit has relocated and now dwells within. We can commune with God and experience his presence in the car, on the subway, in our cubicle, at small group, and anywhere else.
The sweet, holy presence of God is always available to us, and we don’t need to use any manipulative “revival” techniques to access it.
#2 – We Experience The Presence of God Through Scripture
Just as the presence of God hovered over the waters in Genesis 1, so the presence of God hovers over the pages of Scripture. The Bible is no ordinary book, no mere collection of words and pages.
Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the Word of God is alive:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
When we open the pages of Scripture, we are encountering the living, active, speaking God. It is no safe thing to open up the Bible. You never know how God will meet you as you pore over the sacred text.
He may convict you of sin and move you to repentance.
He may strengthen and encourage you in the depths of your soul.
He may prompt you to pray for a struggling, straggling friend.
He may drive you to your knees in worship.
Every time we open the Bible, we are encountering the presence of God in a unique, powerful way. We are foolish to try to experience the presence of God elsewhere if we’re not consistently immersing ourselves in the word of God.
#3 – We Experience The Presence Of God Through Prayer
Consider, for a moment, the glorious nature of prayer. God, the creator of the universe, the King of Kings, the one who keeps planets in the proper orbit and atoms from splitting, wants us to request things of him.
It’s absolutely mind-boggling.
God wants us to open our hearts before him, to bring him our burdens, to request big, audacious things of him. And this is not a mere cathartic exercise, like journaling or talking through problems with friends. When we pray, God actually does stuff! The presence of God suddenly inhabits all the big and little details of our lives.
He lifts our burdens and gives us peace.
He empowers us to overcome our sin.
He heals the sick.
He saves the rebel and takes hold of the wanderer.
He provides for our needs.
When we pray, God takes action.
E.M. Bounds says:
Nothing is well done without prayer for the simple reason that it leaves God out of the account.
The reverse of that quote is also true. When we pray, God is brought into the account, and when that happens, there’s no such thing as impossible. When God enters the equation, the normal laws of nature go out the window.
If we want to experience the presence of God on a daily basis, it’s as simple as praying. Isn’t that glorious? Prayer is saying to God, “Please come and invade the details of my day. I’m not sufficient on my own for the day, but you are.”
#4 – We Experience The Presence Of God When We Fellowship With Christians
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
In other words, Jesus himself is uniquely present whenever Christians gather in his name.
Your small group meeting? Jesus is present.
The Sunday gathering? Jesus is present.
The women’s Bible study, youth group, corporate prayer night, or worship night? Jesus is present at those gatherings.
You and a friend getting coffee and then praying together? He’s there also.
I take Matthew 18:20 to mean that the presence of God manifests in a unique way when believers gather together. In other words, we experience the presence of God in a way that we simply can’t when we’re by ourselves.
God does something special when we pray and sing and serve together. I think this is partially why the author of Hebrews says:
…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The reason we shouldn’t neglect to meet together is that it is one of the ways God preserves us to the end. As we encourage one another, we experience the presence of God in a particular, preserving way.
Talk about motivation to stay close to other Christians!
The Presence of God Isn’t Weird
As I write this, I’m reminded that experiencing the presence of God is never “weird”. Don’t get me wrong, there will be times when it will be staggeringly supernatural. When God answers prayers in ways that are humanly impossible. When He absolutely levels you through a particular passage of Scripture. When another Christian has profound insight into your life.
However, most of the time, our experience of God’s presence will be very “ordinary” (as if meeting with God is ordinary – you get the point).
This should be a profound encouragement to us. We don’t need to work ourselves up into an emotional state to experience God. We don’t need to go to a conference or travel to a special meeting (not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that).
We can experience the beautiful, glorious presence of God every single day.
What a privilege.
5 Tips For Practicing the Presence of God
Yes, this post is about practice. But practice of a different kind.
Practicing the presence of God is about turning all of your life experience into a prayer. Nothing you face in life is exempt from surrender to Jesus.
Every victory, every trial, every annoyance, every disagreement. Turn it around. Bring it into the presence of God.
Here’s how:
1. Begin Your Day With Intentionality – It’s been proven that your morning routine sets the tone for the rest of the day. Rather than being stressed and rushing around, begin your day with God. Start with a prayer, “God, this day is from you and for you. Use me to bring glory to Your name.”
It’s amazing how this perspective can set the tone for a God-centered day.
2. Turn Complaints Into Cries Of Praise – When you find yourself complaining, train yourself to praise instead. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong with your situation, find something you can be grateful for. Truth is, a thousand eternities wouldn’t be sufficient to express our gratefulness to God. His worth far surpasses our ability to praise Him.
Time is short. Stop complaining.
3. Turn Suffering Into Surrender – There’s nothing that rocks the boat more than a prolonged season of intense suffering. When I walked through my 15 months of physical illness, I wasted a lot of time being angry that could have been spent communicating with God. Eventually, I pressed into a deeper place of worship.
Suffering will always be a part of your life on earth. Draw closer to Jesus.
4. Turn the Mundane Into A Holy Moment – There are mindless moments to your day. Boring tasks at work. Routines you could perform with your eyes closed. Rather than just “getting it done,” invite God into your experience.
Use boredom as a catalyst for worship.
5. Lead Yourself In Worship – Don’t ever become such a worship superstar that you stop leading yourself. When you’re alone or with a group of friends, maintain a sensitivity to God that allows you to worship with abandon. Don’t ever hold back.
Practicing the presence of God can become a habit for you. It just takes some intentionality. And I’m sure your worship leading will never be the same again.
How to enter into God’s presence
http://biblestudyresources.org/how-to-enter-into-gods-presence.html
God is especially receptive to those who are near His presence
Imagine the President of the United States entering the White House. Outside there are throngs of protestors carrying big banners and chanting their demands. The President drives in, probably not even stopping to listen or to look at those banners in detail. With their loud demands, the protestors failed to get his attention.
Once the President enters his private office, he is surrounded by his group of advisers. He listens attentively to their advice because they are part of his inner group. They are not outsiders like the protestors.
When we approach our Lord and King, we can be like the protestors shouting our demands from the outside OR we can enter into His inner courts and be noticed by Him.
In the book of Esther, we read that Haman, the evil adviser of the King, wanted to plot against the Jews. When Modecai, the cousin of Esther and also a Jew, learned about the plot, he wept bitter in the streets but his cries did not reach the King. It did not reach the King because he was not allowed to enter the King’s gate.
(Est 4:1-2 NIV) When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. {2} But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it.
Contrast this to what Esther could accomplish because she got into the King’s inner court.
(Est 5:1-3 NIV) On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. {2} When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. {3} Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”
With praise and thanksgiving
Very often we start of our daily time with God with a long list of requests. We think it is more time efficient this way. But we could be shouting at the outer court. Why not enter into God’s inner court first? We do that by first approaching Him with worship.
(Psa 100:4 NIV) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Thanksgiving is the lowest form of worship. It is only based on what someone has done for you. We don’t know what God has done behind the scene. He could have protected us from some virus infection. He could have kept us from a car accident.
Praise is a higher level and is based on who God is. We can praise God for who He is despite the circumstance we are in. We can praise God for being our Healer even when we are having a headache.
Modecai could not get past the King’s gates because he was in sackcloth and ashes. He was dirty and probably did not smell good. Esther spent 12 months indulging in beauty treatments and fragrances before she entered the King’s courts.
(Est 2:12 NIV) Before a girl’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.
It is interesting that in the Bible fragrances are also associated with worship and honor.
When the wise men came to baby Jesus to honor Him, they brought gifts, which include fragrances.
(Mat 2:11 NIV) On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
(John 12:3 NIV) Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
With Mary wanted to worship the Lord Jesus, she poured expensive perfume on His feet and wiped it with her hair.
We need to enter into the Lord’s presence with the sweet fragrance of worship.
Through righteousness living
Worship alone will not get us into the Lord’s presence if we are not living our lives right before God. The Holy God cannot tolerate the presence of sin.
Just like the King could not admit Modecai into his courts because of his filthy clothes, we cannot enter into God’s presence with a filthy life. The Bible uses filth to describe the sinful condition of people.
(Prov 30:12 KJV) There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
A person who gets close to God is one whose walk is righteousness.
(Psa 15:1-2 NIV) LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? {2} He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.
That does not mean that we have to be sinless in order to enter into fellowship with Him in His inner courts. It does mean that we have to live our lives with the aim of pleasing Him, confessing our sins regularly before Him.
(1 John 1:7-9 NIV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin… {9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
I once wrote here on, “The Duplicity of Depending on Feelings“. I certainly believe we should not depend on feelings. However, with this post I want to take you through some truths that will help you in understanding how we can be more sensitive to God.
Please take some time and let these simple truths soak into your heart. I’ve tried to keep it precise and direct:
- The distance you feel from God is the result of sin.
- Fear, guilt and shame follow sin.
- Satan is the accuser that will challenge your walk with God with fear, guilt and shame.
- When you truly repent of your sins – Jesus promised to forgive them.
- As long as you live on this earth you will have temptations.
- To be tempted is not sin, to give into it is sin.
- The secret of the standing man is that he got back from where he fell last.
- Never quit running to God – as God has never quit on you.
- The key to walking with God is to continually pursue God everyday.
- You need God’s grace and mercy everyday. Therefore go to Him everyday.
- How long should you ask forgiveness? Till sin does not rule you anymore.
- The devil will use guilt and shame to stop you from asking God’s forgiveness.
- The devil will use guilt and shame to suggest that you continue in sin as God is mad at you anyway.
- The devil will then sow hopelessness in you to do more than what you have already done as you have sinned and lost it anyway.
- The key is to keep going to God no matter how miserable you feel.
- The Bible also commands you to flee sin. That’s not an option.
- You must also call upon the name of the Lord “with those with a pure heart.” Right fellowship cannot be compromised.
- Give no excuse for your sin. Call sin a sin. Not weakness or any other names.
- Remember again, the secret of the standing man is that he got back from where he fell last. This has to be everyday process to spiritual maturity.
- Hold yourself accountable with a leader. Not someone who can cause you to be tempted again. Find a matured and God fearing leader to hold you accountable.
- Stop living sin conscious and live God conscious.
- Yes, flee sin but more importantly pursue righteousness in the Holy Spirit.
- Renew your mind with the Word of God.
- Read the Word of God till it becomes an integral part of you.
- Yes, God can do it overnight, but you must first stop quitting overnight.
- This is a process and the Holy Spirit is your helper. He knows your trouble more than anybody else and can help you more than anybody else, go to Him. Depend on Him!
- Soak yourself in the presence of God. See this image on why we don’t hear the Shepherd’s voice.
- Take time to forget everything around you and worship Him with whatever songs you know.
- Just love Him, talk to Him like you would talk to your best friend.
- Don’t worry about what you feel. He promised to be there till the end of the days and thats all what is important. Give importance to His word over how you feel! (Don’t listen to the lie of the enemy)
- Meditate on a Word from the Bible today. Ponder over it. Love it. Read it. Write it. Celebrate it. Enjoy it. Share it. Make it a habit.
- Again, please don’t worry about what you feel and how feel God. Enjoy His word.
- Don’t forget to pray. Ask the Lord to keep you from evil and give you grace to overcome temptations. Talk to the Lord about the Word you read.
- It is not about doing it once, it’s about your consistent walk with God. Do it till walking with God becomes a natural part of you.
- Whether you feel Him or not, you are His child, and that settles it, take time to thank Jesus today.
- Stop praying and reading your Bible with the attitude of getting something in return. But do it because you love doing it, irrespective of whether God blesses you or not!
- Enjoy the knowledge that God loves you more than how your natural feelings tell you. Begin to thank God for His love and mercy.
- Remember, there is nothing you can do to gain His love – He already loved you 2000 years ago on the cross, now simply soak in it.
- There is nothing you can do to deserve His grace – it’s truly undeserving, simply learn to surrender into His arms.
- Now when you reach here, do it all over till you don’t need to have a blog post to tell you that irrespective of your repeated failures you are loved by God, and that He is waiting for you with His arms wide open. Don’t let your emotions rule you, let the fact that God is never-changing rule your heart.
That’s all now, don’t wait for more. Tell the devil to get lost and thank God for His grace, mercy, love and presence irrespective of how you feel!
How to Live in the Presence of God
- FATHER JOHN A. HARDON, S.J