Experiencing God's Presence

Glory to God!

These are exciting times! The Lord is teaching us to fear Him as we learn to rely on Him, respond to Him and revere Him. Yesterday God showed us what attracts His manifest presence but also how the believer can hinder the tangible, experiential revelation of God. This is what He showed us:

• The number one thing that demonstrates our fear of the Lord and our complete dependency on God and that attracts His manifest presence is sacrifice.
• The follower of Jesus is called to deny himself, thus putting self-dependency to death. Matthew 16:24
• The believer is called to live his life as a living sacrifice in depedence on God, because of God and for God's pleasure. Rom. 12:1
• Dependence on self is idolatry and is rooted in evil. James 3:15
• Many believers try to get God's attention instead of dying to self and depending on God to attract His manifest presence.
• The two altars on Mount Carmel represent the altar of self and the altar of God. 1 Kings 18:16-39
• The altar of self (Baal) is surrounded by those who worship self and depend on self to draw attention to themselves.
• The altar of God is surrounded by those who deny themselves and rely on God to attract His manifest presence.
• Those who rely on self and try to draw attention to themselves and try to control others and God, reveal 5 characteristics that expose self-worship and self-dependency.

1. Self demands to get attention instead of obeying and waiting. 1 Kings 18:26, 36
2. Self displays by performing to get attention instead of simply trusting God pointing to Him. 1 Kings 18:26, 36
3. Self tries to do more for God to impress Him and control Him instead of denying self and resting in His grace. 1 Kings 18:28, 36,37; Isaiah 30:15
4. Self destroys itself to get attention and control instead of denying self in dependence on God. 1 Kings 18:28, 32-35
5. Self displaces God when it cannot get what it wants instead of revealing God by denying self and attracting the Lord's manifest presence. 1 Kings 18:29, 36,37

• The altar of self will not attract God's manifest presence but the altar of death to self attracts the manifest presence of God! 1 Kings 18:29, 38,39
• The believer must make a choice to follow God and not to follow self. 1 Kings 18:21

Sacrifice demonstrates the believer's fear of the Lord
and attracts God's manifest presence!

We praise God for shining His light into darkness and exposing the influence of the enemy on our lives that causes us to rely on ourselves rather than on God.

This Tuesday we are starting a weekly discipleship class that will help our people become true followers of Christ and grow in their relationship with Him. Click here for more information.

This Sunday we are excited to have Bengt Wedemalm with us - a man of faith who attracts the manifest presence of God!

Quote of the week:

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" Matthew 16:24

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