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In response to those who are seeking to know how to hear from God in the Presence, I will be sharing some of my journey in this and some of the things that I’ve learned. For me, it began with a “suddenly”… revelation a number of years ago. I won’t say how long ago (smile) but it was back before our children were born.

I had been enjoying my Christian life. A returned prodigal and recently married to a man who really loved Jesus, I was so happy and excited about my new life. God’s goodness was? real to me and I had experienced His power in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now, somewhere around a year later, I felt restless and vaguely dissatisfied. These feelings concerned me. My decision had been made?that I would?serve the Lord for the rest of my life; I knew that I would hold to that. But things didn’t feel the same. Was this?all I had to look forward to for the future?

Right here is about the point where we usually give young Christians a lecture about how we don’t serve God by feelings (quite true);?they should just know that they’re salvation is?sure and just keep plugging away at going to church, reading their Bibles, and developing in the disciplines of the Christian life. No wonder there are masses of Christians who have settled for boring lives!

Thankfully, my being in that position was very short-lived. One morning, feeling very restless and discontented, I decided?to skip?the usual?coffee break in the?company cafeteria. The?women,?including the?Christian ones,?usually just sat and talked about other people anyway. Boring. Instead, I?went to the employee lounge and sat?down with my book. I was reading In His Presence by E.W. Kenyon. Kenyon’s books are intensely wordy. I had chewed through the first chapter, knowing it was good stuff, but not really assimilating much. Then, in the second chapter I read,?“I used to wonder why [Jesus] needed to pray. He took His human place, and lived the human life.

“I have the conviction that He didn’t draw upon the secret resources that belonged to Him, more than it is possible for us who live and walk in His Name…He didn’t exercise His divine prerogatives during His three years’ ministry any more than any child of God may exercise them. He had a human body. He had the limitations that go with the Incarnation.

“The believer is a New Creation, created in Christ Jesus. He is brought into the family of God…He is a child of God. The Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in his body.”

Suddenly, in one?moment that changed my life forever, the universe stopped for me. I saw it! I?knew that the?Presence of Christ fills me; I’m in the Presence of God. I didn’t have to do anything to achieve it; ?I don’t have to earn it; it’s just SO! The reality of God’s abiding Presence exploded in my consciousness. The scriptures, particularly the ones speaking of who we are in Christ,?sprang to life with new revelation. They connected and made sense.?

What limitations are there in Christ? How could anything ever be impossible again? How could anything be hopeless?? The rare pity parties I’ve tried having since then have been completely fruitless. You can only carry them on for a few minutes when you know that the One who created the universe and has all the answers is right with you.

In the Presence of God is everything that He is. And He’s living in me. The quickening power of the Holy Spirit brings healing to the body. He uncovers limiting strongholds of the mind and brings the revelation that sets free. He IS everything that’s needed.

Of course, there is no instant spiritual maturity. There has been much growth, change, and adjustment?since then. But I now believe, in fact I could say that I know, that true spiritual growth actually begins when we realize that we are in Christ. Still, I don’t consider myself to be totally self-sufficient. I still go to the “spout where the glory’s coming out” and have fun doing it because God has chosen to work that way. ?

The?Presence has sustained?through some extremely difficult circumstances that my husband and I have had to face. Even when?we could?sometimes see no positive change on the horizon and the fulfillment of promises seemed like a very long wait, we could draw into Christ and find our refreshing.?Of course, God’s Presence isn’t just to sustain us in trouble, He is the very source of all victory.?And?we’re experiencing it.

In prayer, I seek the Lord as pressing and searching in Him, not pleading for a distant God to come down and help me.

You know that phrase we use when we are leading someone to Christ? We instruct them to “ask Jesus into their heart”. I’m not against that, but we should take note that that phrase isn’t even in the Bible. The Bible speaks of “having believed” and being “in Christ”. Maybe if we didn’t dumb things down for people, we wouldn’t have to help them break so many boxes on their thinking later.

When counselling and praying for people, I endeavor to bring them to the revelation of the abiding Presence of God.?I’m only going to do so much counselling. My husband, on the other hand, being in the addictions field, does quite a bit of counselling and is more inclined that way. Both of us realize, though that knowing?the Presence of God is a key issue for people to really change. Otherwise, they’ll continue to be needy. They’ll get over one circumstance and another will knock their feet out from under them. Realizing the Presence of God destroys neediness. We need to trust the Presence and lead others to trust Him, as well.

This is entering the rest.