STUDIES FROM BRETHREN IN CHRIST

3/19/2017 ~ Acquiring the 'Presence of the Lord'

⛨   presence1am.mp3 (38m 02s) presence2pm.mp3 (43m 02s)   Presence.pptx Darkness has no praise. When we embrace the Lord we seize life. It is the ability to see through the veil. ... Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD ... ~ Genesis 3:8 Some believe God is distant, if existent, and that deeds may be done in secret, foreign from His view. "Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the LORD; ... ~ Jeremiah 23:24 Contrary to any human doctrine, God perceives all in the presence of His creation. Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, ... ~ Isaiah 29:15 Disregarding God leads to evil outcomes   Woe who hide from the LORD               ⮡  Works in the dark;                     → "Who sees us?"                     → "Who knows us?"   Repeated warnings go forth cautioning not to ignore His vision. There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. ~ Job 34:22 The farthest corners of darkness are not hidden from the sight of God. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? ~ Psalms 139:7-10 For those seeking to escape Him there is no refuge. It is God that leads all of us as He waits holding time in space. ... The darkness and the light are both alike to You. ~ Psalms 139:11-12 In the timelessness of God, He waits for what He has openly given in light to freely return to Him. The faith of a true believer turns the darkest of all situations into the light He commands, for one’s inner brilliance is to shine in the midst of affliction. No matter how dark it gets, His light shines forth. Belief in God is a shield of light. Earth is His womb unto eternity where He patiently watches. God sees all with no place hidden beyond His view. ... He did not hide deep darkness from my face. ~ Job 23:14-17 As God sees darkness, so do we witness it, as hard and cold as it is. In witnessing darkness we see what is to come for those that reject His pure light; death. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; ... ~ Psalms 23:4 He is the protection in the face of overwhelming evil. Are we able to endure the fires of pain to stand in His light? He is the rewarding strength when we are too weak to hold ourselves up. It is God that brings fearlessness to the heart. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. ... ~ Psalms 145:18-20 An honest heart cries out and He lifts all that is genuine. To know He hears us is to trustingly love Him even though we must at times endure tribulations. The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. ~ Proverbs 16:4 By the hand of God blessings unfold in the presence of all. He will retrieve all who genuinely attempt the best they can to seek Him out. A destination is coming for all. On the one hand, eternal life in His light for the faithful, while eternal darkness absent from His power awaits the wicked. It is pride that fearlessly exalts oneself above God Almighty. Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. ~ Isaiah 55:6 While in the light opportunity is offered to all. God is offering each of us something greater than ourselves, His love in the light. Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, ... ~ Hebrews 3:8 Bitter of heart blocks the love in accepting the sacrifice He has given for all to autonomously know. ... they tempted the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?" ~ Exodus 17:7 To hold contempt for God exposes a selfish over thankful heart. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ~ Hebrews 3:12 Unbelief and doubt destroy an honest open relationship with God. He seeks life in His creation to return on its’ own accord. Doubt shrivels the spirit. Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, ... ~ Acts 3:19 Repentance is a change of heart to pursue that which is good in Him. To repent is to turn from the desires that are contrary to His commands. "... that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ..." ~ Acts 17:27 To notice the Lord one has to accept that He is. This is when He becomes closer than we are even to ourselves. If the Lord seems far away, one has either a weak faith, ... even to the point of unbelief, its roots are in a selfish and or unthankful based faith. The Lord is far from those with doubt in their hearts. The Lord rests not just upon the surface of our flesh, right next too, but all while in the depths of our deepest parts. He looks for what we come to love. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. ... ~ Psalms 37:5-6   Commit + Trust = Come to Pass   Just committing is not enough in establishing a true unbreakable relationship. Trust is essential and is what a surrendering heart does. With trust His will comes to be as the spirit is illuminated in His truths. It is trust that solves all problems. Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. ... ~ Isaiah 60:1-2 Christ has risen upon us all. To see Him is to know what He did that we may live. Faith is allowing one’s self to be drawn back into His light of all truth. The sight of the Lord radiates from within. "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; ..." ~ Zephaniah 3:17 God's favor will unfold   He will:          ● Rejoice over you with gladness            ● Quiet you with His love          ● Rejoice over you with singing It is easy to forget those things the Lord does for us. Accepting His love opens that eternal door where truth resides. "... who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life ... has passed from death into life." ~ John 5:24 To find God is to believe in Him which brings His eternal presence to light in one’s life. If one still believes in death, one has yet to fully realize life in Him. ... it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which dI now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God ... ~ Galatians 2:20 ... He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. ~ Romans 8:11 Once one fully appreciates what He did for us, in all of its facets, how awesome does His sacrifice become as one bows before His brilliance of grace. Creator of all His Perception is absolute ● People think they can hide from God ● The Lord sees all that happens ● Dark works cannot hide from His view ● None can escape from the presence of the Lord ● He crosses all as light expose all that is ● God does not hide darkness from us ● God protects us in all we do ● The LORD is near to all who are in truth and love Him ● All is made for and by the Lord ● He calls for all to return in Him ● Do not harden your hearts questioning His presence ● An evil heart of unbelief departs from God ● His presence refreshes the spirit In His light we see Him for He is. Broken dreams do not defeat the faithful. True belief rises past all tribulation in view of that which is greater, the love of God. Silence is part of the deep hole of darkness. To be with the Lord has no greater value. ... Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. ~ Psalms 51:10-12 We need to ask for His help in opening our understanding, to be better established in His will. Without a clean conscious and zeal of spirit pursuing His truths, His presence is all but elusive. Carl Marx said that religion was the opium of the masses, but in actuality, it is the identity of a true soul returning to the source of all life, love. It is an upward call from God Himself for us to remember Him of our own accord. SOUND DESIRE   ● Create in me   ● a clean heart   ● a steadfast spirit     ● Joy of salvation ... "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." ~ Exodus 33:14 And in Him we find our eternal spiritual rest. There is no greater love than knowing the Lord waits to give each of us rest upon His originating Spirit. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; ... ~ Psalms 16:11   In Your Presence = Fullness of Joy   Choices confront each of us and we can only pray sin passes us by as we approach His presence. Life is either full or empty and it is in this choice that our character is revealed. Do you live in a reservoir or a desert? Part of the presence of God is accepting the presence of God. ... with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. ~ Isaiah 12:1-3 God’s willingness to forgive falls upon those that trust in Him and follow after Him. The Well of Salvation Comes ● I will praise You ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼→ WORSHIP ● You were angry with me ⎼⎼⎼⎼→ SIN ● Your anger is turned away ⎼→ MERCY ● You comfort me ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼→ TRUTH ● God is my salvation ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼→ CHRIST ● I will trust & not be afraid ⎼⎼→ LOVE "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." ~ John 7:38 A rising spirt comes to those that achieve a loving dedication to Him in all that they are. It is our faith that pours out of us. ... be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." ~ Hebrews 13:5-6 With what has been said one must act on scripture to reap those benefits the inspired word speaks of. The concepts given of His word deliver the peace the world does not know. It is the blessing of His eternalness that gives more than takes. Man has no power over God. For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. ~ Psalms 18:28 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. ~ Jeremiah 29:13 God is found by all who desire Him with all of their being. To have faith in the Lord is greater than what can be seen, and it is larger than all that is. ... And you who seek God, your hearts shall live. ~ Psalms 69:29-32 Though miseries are persistent, His peace in love shine forth through all gloom. It is when your heart lives in Him that He is present. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ... ~ James 4:8 The closer to God the more one can identify with His presence and notice His will at play. ... receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ~ James 1:21 Truth is the cornerstone of what heals the soul   Implanted Word = Salvation   To shed past mistakes and evil influences, seeking His word, empowers the salvation He offers. The more one knows and accepts of His truth brings about the closeness greater than any human bond. We find God through the light of the word. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ... ~ James 1:22-24 No accountability disregards responsibility   Not a doer = Forgets God   If one does not apply the word of God, one should not expect to feel His presence. Submission to a higher love in trust, one cannot know God if not applying His will in one’s life. Be Holy for I am Holy is where goodness comes to goodness. To not see God in self is to deny His presence. ... Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. ~ 1st Corinthians 13:11-12 To know God is to know self. Maturity of spirit is required to enjoy the blessings He bestows. Strength of spirit is the brilliance He imparts on the humble. There is no question for those that believe in Him as He is here. ... being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. ~ 2nd Corinthians 3:18 To acquire a true sense of His presence, we are transformed into His image as spirits of His creation. ... If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. ~ 2nd Timothy 2:13 "... I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." ~ Revelation 3:20 To enter His door is to be eternally immersed in His light. Doubt and earthly desires deny a true relationship with God in the freedom He offers. ... Christ ... into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; ... ~ Hebrews 9:24 Christ Himself is our arbitrator in our own eternal creation. As we are witnesses of ourselves to Him, and if aware of this exposure, it draws us closer to Him. Christ is everyone's portal to eternity. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, ... ~ 1st Peter 3:18 Christ came to earth specifically so that we could be drawn into the true and only living God. Christ is God calling us to come to Him. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, ... ~ Hebrews 4:16 To believe in God is to come directly to Him and in this His presence is. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. ~ Ephesians 2:18 ... in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. ~ Ephesians 3:12 Confidence is a natural effect of our bond in His eternal grace. We take our direct access to God for granted as it has been long fought for and hard won. ... I am with you always, ... ~ Matthew 28:20 He is with us always as He waits for our awakening. God renders the light for life to live ● With a clean heart pray His presence is not taken away ● His presence gives one rest ● In His presence is fullness of joy ● Belief in Him brings wells of salvation ● Be content with such things as you have ● He is the light of our lives ● One finds God with all of one’s heart ● One’s heart shall live who seeks God ● God comes near to those near to Him ● Receiving His word is what saves one’s soul ● Only the genuine find His presence ● Depth of character reveals His presence ● We are transformed closer to Him in His presence His presence is what gives us life. There is no where to move in darkness. Watch Presence2pm on YouTube