Experiencing God's presence

What we experienced last weekend was God's presence.

I was grateful for Nathan Morris praying with and for me at the end of the service Sunday.

There was a definite sense of God's presence on my life.

At the same time, BEFORE the service started, we were sitting in the conference room of the church - and Nathan came over and "laid hands on me" in prayer and prayer with and for me.

It has been around 13 years since I have felt God's presence like that.

I am grateful and humbled by that visitation of God's Holy Spirit.

Now then, I need, or rather I feel prompted to explain what I mean by the word "felt."

Feeling God's presence is different from feeling any other kind of physical emotion that we might experience.

Paul writes in Romans 8:16, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."

God's spirit speaks to my spirit, giving me the assurance that I am a child of God.

Paul also writes in Philippians 4:7, "and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

It is a peace that Jesus gives. 

This peace is not generated from our human emotions but from the Spirit of Christ.

This is what many of us (dare I say most of us - even as Pentecostals) do not get.  Too often people think that the witness that Romans 8:16 talks about is a physical something.

It is not.

It is a spiritual something.

It is the Holy Spirit connecting with my spirit.  He does not testify to my body - but my human spirit.

In life, you and I cannot go by physical feeling - especially in this area of "experiencing God's presence."

This "inner witness type of connection of the Holy Spirit" is a thing that you sense, not in your physical body and not in your emotions.

It has nothing to do with physical feelings.  The inner witness has to do with your spiritual feelings within your spirit.

That takes many years of prayer and practice before the average Christian can distinguish between the two.

You begin to recognize the difference between a godly joy and a joy that comes from your circumstances being perfect.

You begin to recognize the difference between a peace that comes from "perfect circumstances" and a peace that comes no matter what the circumstances are.

Let me give you an example of that. 

When a Christian is hurt by another person, they may feel angry, rejected and wounded by their human feelings.

However, in their human spirit, the Holy Spirit can give them an inner witness of peace and joy to guide them to forgive and love this person that has hurt them.  It is a feeling that transcends the human emotion of resentment and hurt and anger.

Or, conversely, a Christian person may feel very peaceful and joyful in their physical feelings about buying a new car.

However, in their human spirit, they may at the same time have an inner witness of a lack of peace or an uneasiness from the Holy Spirit.  God may be giving them this lack of peace because they may know that the money that would be spent on a new car is needed for some other purpose.

Here's the principle:  You and I as followers of Christ should not do what our human emotions tell us to do but what the Holy Spirit tells us to do.

In encourage you this Sunday, to come expecting God to move in your spirit, by His Holy Spirit.  I encourage you to not try to "work up some kind of emotion" but let God's Holy Spirit touch your human spirit - and lift you once again into the glory of God!

Come Holy Spirit we need you!

We desire more of your presence and power!

Just a thought for a Tuesday.