We are talking about the power in the presence of God today. First I have to get something straight. Jesus is alive and wants His people to know Him intimately. Not in a religious way but truly know Him better than you know anyone. This seems unbelievable to so many, which is a mystery to me. If someone believes that God is real and believes He is the creator of everything. Why is it so hard for some to believe that we can know Him closer than anyone we have ever meet. The fact is Jesus desires this amazing relationship. However, so many are not willing to take the time and pursue after Him as the Bible teaches.
In this article I am not only going to show you His presence and power in the Bible. I am going to show you how to pursue Him to the point He will become very real and intimate to you. This should be every Christians desire, not just going to church, not just doing religious things and thinking that is all there is.
The Power In The Presence Of God That Belongs to You
To truly experience the power in the presence of God you have to first believe Jesus is alive and wants you to experience Him a very real way. The presence of Jesus is NOT just some mental idea, or just some emotions like some have tried to explain out there. The reason these people who call themselves Christians say things like that is because they have never experienced the reality of Jesus Christ. I was one of them because growing up I never went to church or never was told that Jesus was real and that you can know Him and experience Him. But more about me later and how I came to understand the reality of Jesus.
First, let me show you how Jesus wants us to know Him. This isn’t my option and I cannot and don’t have to prove anything. It is a personal decision if you want to believe the word of God or not. I don’t waste my time arguing with spiritually dead Christians or unbelievers. Why would anyone want to waste time debating over something so precious like knowing Jesus the way the Bible teaches? The good news is that you don’t have to debate and argue either. If someone doesn’t want to believe or pursue the Lord on their own then there is nothing we could do for that person anyways.
Jesus Must Be First to Experience The Power In The Presence of God
Let’s start with some scriptures of what Jesus said and then we will get into some deeper areas of knowing His presence. First, we must understand that God almighty wants to be first and no-one comes before Him, not your spouse, not your children, not your parents…no-one. God first and then everything else. This is the way Jesus said it which so many misunderstand, but I will clear it up for you in this article.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father,
and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren,
and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be
my disciple. Luke 14: 26
So, we see that Jesus is showing us the importance of putting Him first and no-one before Him. Jesus was not telling us to hate our family and ourselves with a demonic hate but to remember that no-one comes before the Lord in your life. This is something only the Holy Spirit can help you do, because we get so attached to the human emotions and love for family and ourselves, but Jesus wants to be first then family and selves.
The Lord’s Voice Should Be Known Then You Will Know the Reality of His Presence
Some question the reality of Jesus Christ and the power of His presence but Jesus said like this:
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep,
and am known of mine. John 10:14
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me. John 10: 27
It’s so important that we believe the word of God and not opinions of others. If we stick to the Bible we will be safe because there is so much false teachings and false opinions of who God is out there. But the Bible will never lie, you can stake your life on the Bible, it is always true.
We are to know Him and His voice. This is a process, getting to know Him is just like getting to know anyone else, it takes time and fellowship. But the fact is Jesus wants you to know Him. The only question is, do you want to know Him more and more every day, or do you just like being religious?
The Day I Experienced The Power In the Presence of God
As I stated early I never was told that Jesus was real or that you could know Him by pursuing Him in prayer. I didn’t grow up in a church or have Christians friends around me. So, no-one was telling me I could grow close to God and live victorious in every area of my life like Jesus promises. (John 10:10) I knew there had to be a God but did not have a clue how to start building a relationship with Him until one day the journey began.
I was 19 years old and was alone in my apartment. So happy that I finally had my own place with no roommates and I started a new career that was going very well. It felt like I had it all but I knew something was missing. However, I couldn’t understand what it was. I asked God this question, “if you’re real can I know you?”. Went on to say to Him, “I don’t want to hear about a good church to go to or a preacher to listen too, I want to know you”!
I didn’t realize that God Almighty was listening and knew my honesty and sincerity with these questions. I didn’t ask for a sign, nor for angels to show up and then I would believe, I just wanted to know Him, that was it. Was not looking for signs or experiences, I just wanted to know this Jesus that some are telling me is real. I wanted to know Him for myself. Not someone else’s experience with Him.
The Power and Presence of God Became Very Real
At the time of me asking God if I could know Him I didn’t own a Bible and wasn’t going to a church, this was a call of one on one relationship with a living God. What I didn’t understand at the time this is all Jesus is looking for, someone that will pursue after Him in all sincerity and honesty. I was looking for signs and wonders or experiences, I was looking for a one on one relationship with the living God and I found it! Two weeks later I ended up giving my life to the Lord flipping through the channels of my television and coming across a strange sight that caught my attention and before that program was over I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.
That preacher’s name was Rod Parsley, I never heard of him before this television service but the Lord used him to reach out to me in my apartment one on one with Jesus. Two weeks later I seen an advertisement that this man Rod Parsley would be holding a revival, I didn’t have a clue what a revival is but I knew I wanted to hear this man again talk about Jesus. I ran out a bought my first Bible, I felt so excited about it and I didn’t know why. I had such expectation about this thing called a revival.
The Power of God Hit Me So Hard
I remembered be glued to the television and listening to every word Pastor Rod Parsley said that night. What happen at the end of the program changed my life forever. I seen young men and women falling out under the power of God, I was glued to the television, not understanding what I was seeing. Knew there was something real about this power because the people were shaking and crying by the hundreds. There was no way they were all acting for money to perform for the tv audience.
I was taking by this and glued to the television when all of a sudden Pastor Parsley held a young woman by the wrist as she shook and cried Rod Parsley pointed into the camera and yelled with great boldness, “what America needs is more preachers” and when he said that an invisible power hit me right there on my couch, it threw me off the couch onto the floor.
What Is Happening, What Is Happening?!
I found myself shaking and crying like those on television, I tried to get up off the floor but was like superglued to the floor shaking with such great power. Couldn’t believe what I was experiencing, all I kept saying to myself is, “what is happening”? I tried to stop crying, Tried to get off the floor but I couldn’t something was happening to me. The feeling of love was unbelievable, unlike anything I experienced before, the feeling is impossible to explain.
What I learned later that was the presence of Jesus Christ. His presence is amazing, I wish I could explain the level that I experienced that day but it is impossible. I do know this that anyone who will call upon the Lord today will can know His presence. But I have to be bold here, if you are seeking just some cheap experience you are wasting your time, but if you truly want to know Jesus in a real way begin to ask Him to allow you to know Him and watch what happens.
You Can Have Amazing Experiences In the Presence of God
It’s your time to know Him, please don’t waste your time seeking signs and wonders or supernatural experiences. Ask the Lord to give you the desire to know Him. If you don’t believe that the Lord wants you to know Him deeply then you are the reason I am writing this article. I believe that you are feeling a desire to know Him the way I explained. The Holy Spirit is stirring you up now. Jesus is real and alive. Don’t just sit in church all of your life listening to someone tell you about God. Pursue Him, He wants you to know Him and experience Him in such a real way.