I don’t know how it is for you, but in my opinion there is nothing on this earth that is stronger, more powerful or wonderful than the presence of God.
I have had many experiences with God’s presence since I was born again.
God’s presence transforms our lives: it brings us peace, comfort, joy, it transforms our hearts and our way of living.
Today I want to encourage you to seek the presence of God like never before!
Moses is a biblical character which encourages us to seek the presence of God so we are now going to read some verses from book of Exodus.
“Moses used to take a tent a short way outside the camp. He called it “the meeting tent. ” Anyone who wanted to ask something from the Lord would go to the meeting tent outside the camp.”
Exodus 33:7 ERV
The Bible says that Moses had a special place to seek the presence of the Lord, he put a tent outside camp.
Today we don’t need a “tent” to seek the Lord’s presence; if you want God’s presence in your life, all you need to do is seek Him.
We all know that Moses was a man who sought God and had His presence in his life. He was a man used by God and a man who had the Holy Spirit in his life.
We know that at that Moses’ times were very different from our times. Today we can meet God right where we are, if you have given your life to Jesus and if He is your saviour, you become the house of God, you’re the temple of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament however, it was not the same. They only had the Holy Spirit for certain jobs and certain times. But When Jesus was resurrected, He sent the Holy Spirit to all who believe, love and serve Him.
In the past I had a life heading to failure, full of addictions and sins, until the day the presence of God entered my life through the Holy Spirit and since then I have been restored day after day.
Maybe you, who are listening to this message, have already experienced the presence of God in your life, but maybe it was a long time ago and you have since grown spiritually cold. Now, it’s time for you to return to God’s presence. God is waiting for you, He’s saying: my son, my daughter come to my presence!
The first thing you have to do is go back to seeking God’s presence. You will have to take some time off, stop doing what you usually do and go to His presence.
Maybe it will be your home, maybe in the church, your bedroom, maybe in a forest, mountain or in a place far away where you will be alone with God.
Today I want to encourage you to return to the presence of God.
Moses used to set up a tent outside the camp and at that time whoever wanted to seek the Lord would go to this tent and God would manifest in that place.
We also need to set up “our tent”, that is a time and a place to seek the Lord.
We need to close the doors of distractions: WhatsApp, Facebook, computer and mobiles. We need to calm ourselves down and to set our time apart to be in God’s presence.
Moses was not perfect or a very strong man. It’s interesting that God chooses weak people, Moses had weaknesses so that God’s Power could be perfected in his weakness. Those of you who feel weak have a great potential to be visited by God, because when you are weak, God is more present.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9
I have had many experiences with the presence of God and I remember that in most of the experiences I had, I was feeling very weak and defeated, then the presence of God came, filled me with his strength and his grace, I heard his voice and I was strengthened and filled with joy.
Moses had a great intimacy with God, verse 11 says
“The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as anyone speaks to his friend …..”
Exodus 33:11
Look at the level of intimacy God had with Moses in the Old Testament. But can you undertand how we now have the Holy Spirit inside of us? We can know the depths of God.
God is able to put dreams in your heart which you never dreamt before. God is able to give you a vision that through the Holy Spirit you can do the impossible.
Because of the presence of God Moses was able to see the invisible and for this reason he did the impossible.
This is why you have to be filled with the presence of God. Through the presence of God, He will place dreams in your heart, He will take you out of the situation you are in, He will restore every area of your life.
I have experienced this. Years back God placed dreams in my heart, He gave me a vision and today I live those dreams.
Moses was in a difficult time of his life, a time of confusion and conflict. Moses had a word from God. God had already spoken to Moses: Moses you will set my people free from the hands of the Pharaoh.
But there came a time when Moses was tired. He found himself unable to do what God called him to do and Moses went and talked to God.
Exodus 33:12-14
12 “Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””
Exodus 33:12-14
We see here that Moses was going through a time of conflict in his soul. He was not doubting God but he was only opening his heart to God, this is not a sin, we must do it too!
In Verse 12 Moses says: Lord you commanded me to take this people away, but You do not tell me who will walk with me, who will help me along this journey.
He says:
I feel incapable, I don’t know how to speak properly , how does the Lord leave me alone?
Often we feel the same way. We are confused. You have a promise from God. God has already spoken to you, you used to feel the presence of God, but now you find yourself lost in your conflicts and emotions and you don’t know how things are going to go or how things are going to change. Are you feeling this way?
Moses was like this, he knew he should set the people free, but he said: the Lord has not told me who is coming along with me.
Moses had seen the presence of God before, he saw miracles in Egypt, he saw the Red Sea open, but now he was asking: show me the next step. What should I do?
God’s Answer comes in verse 14
“He replied,” My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. “
Exodus 33:14
Beloved ones, do you know when this rest will come for you?
When you have a face-to-face conversation with God.
When you open up to the Lord and tell Him what is happening to you.
Maybe what you need today is forgiveness, or God’s mercy, because you have been walking out of Lord’s way and away from Him.
Today you need to open your heart and ask God: Forgive my sins, Lord I have done wrong, I have failed, I have doubted your presence, I have lacked faith, and I ask you, forgive my sins, heal my heart and purify my soul.
You will receive the rest that God has for your life but the way to His presence is through repentance.
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.”
Acts of the Apostles 17:30
If you want to have peace, to have the presence of God and rest for your soul, you need to turn your heart to God and ask Him for forgiveness.
If we repent I am sure that a beautiful work will start in your life, in your family, in your marriage, your finances, in your spiritual life.
Christ’s peace will once again reign in your heart.
If you need peace, if you need an answer, turn your heart to the presence of God.
Moses wanted someone to accompany and help him and what did God say?
I will accompany you, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest!
Maybe you’re like Moses, the only thing you have is your faith and your hope in God, but that’s all you need.
Maybe you don’t have what you’re asking God for, maybe you don’t have health, you don’t have a ministry, you don’t have a spouse, you don’t have a job.
But if you have the presence of God with you, then you have everything you need. Because God does not lose any battle.
If you are a bible reader you will find that every time God was with his people, He gave them victory. They never lost a battle when the presence of God was with them.
But when sin entered in the midst of God’s people, they began to lose battles.
We see the example of Achan who disobeyed God, (Joshua 7:20) and because of this man and his family, the people of Israel were defeated.
Did you know that sin is the biggest cause of defeat in Christians’ lives.
We children of God, washed in the blood of Jesus, we who have already converted to Jesus, we can no longer live with God and in sin.
God never abandons you if you are born again and the Holy Spirit is in your life!
But there is a big difference between the Holy Spirit being with you and the Holy Spirit governing your life.
“Do not quench the Holy Spirit” 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Don’t stop the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
We can stop the action and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
How? When we decide to act on our own, when I take action contrary to the word of God, when I do not ask God for guidance and I make decisions according to my own will.
Sometimes we say: the Holy Spirit gives me breaks and let me do it my own way.
When we make these decisions by ourselves, we go to the wilderness. It is not God who leads you there, but it was our decisions, our disobedience to God.
15 “Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.””
Exodus 33:15-17
After God said that he would go with him and give him rest, Moses said: Your presence is all I need, if your presence does not go with us, do not send us from here!
Moses basically said: The only thing that will make the difference between us and other people on this earth is your presence manifested in our lives!
That is why you cannot let the presence of God go from your heart.
You need to go back to seeking the presence of God, so God will fill you, use you and His presence will go with you!
God said: Moses I will do what you asked, because I have been pleased with you.
If you want God’s presence manifested in your life, we need to please God!
How to please God?
You can please God if you have a broken heart, you can please God if you have a humble heart, but also you please God with your obedience, because Moses was a man who obeyed God.
Moses did what God asked him to do.
We cannot have the presence of God without obedience or holiness.
Jesus said that if we want to know God, if you want to have God’s hand leading your life, you need to obey God.
“Those who really love me are the ones who not only know my commands but also obey them. My Father will love such people, and I will love them. I will make myself known to them. ””
John 14:21 ERV (another version says: I will manifest myself to him)
God’s presence will be manifested in your life when there is obedience to the word and not just knowledge of the word.
Many Christians claim they love God, but they do not have experience of the presence of God because they only know commandments.
What are these commandments?
To love our neighbour, to be together with our brethren in the meetings , to walk in obedience to our leaders, to forgive those who offend us, to be faithful in our tithes even when the church is closed, to walk in holiness and flee from sin.
I want to encourage you to seek the presence of God, because God reveals himself, God speaks when we seek him.
I’m sure that if you bow your knees, with confidence and faith and a humble heart , God will reveal Himself to you!
Jesus said: Whoever has my commandments and follows them, is the one who loves me, the one who loves me, I will reveal myself to them.
The first thing we need to do for Him to manifest to us is obedience to what is written and to all teachings of the word of God we are receiving.
Those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.”
Romans 8:8
The first step in obedience is repentance for what we have done wrong.
No matter how is your life, no matter what you have been through, if you repent and change your attitude, God will manifest in your life.
Many times in my life I was feeling weak, I was sad, I was in the wilderness, but I sought God, I repented from my sins and God visited me.
Many times the presence of God was manifested in my life and I know that God wants to do the same with you!
When you repent and humble yourself before God, He fills you with His presence and that makes you stronger in God, and more humble before people.
Christians who know the presence of God become more humble, more loving and more obedient believers.
Christians who repent of their sins and know the presence of God, overcome temptations and sins.
The closer you get to God’s presence, the more you are transformed.
It is easy to know who is truly in the presence of God, they are the ones who walk in obedience to the word of God.
Please, take a step of faith, make a decision to go into the presence of God every day, please make a decision to repent from your sins, because your sins will take you away from the presence of God.
Take a step of faith and God will honour you, He will fill you with the Holy Spirit.
Say it like Moses said it: I need you, Your presence is all I need, if your presence does not go with me, do not send me from here!
All you need is God’s presence.
Please close your eyes, and take a step of faith. Look to your life and repent from your sins.
Speak to God all that is in your heart, open yourself to Him.
In His presence you are strengthened, it’s in His presence that you have an answer to everything that feels confusing today.
If you are away from God, come back to him! For God is waiting for you!