Quote from Forum Archives on August 6, 2003, 2:20 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Do you sense God's Presence? If so, how? I don't think that it's
possible to categorize or compartmentalize how God's Presence can be
felt. For some, it can be a physical experience. For others, it is
an emotional experience. For some, it is both, perhaps for others, it
is neither.

To me, the important thing is that we read God's Word every day, so
that we can know the character and even the very words of God
Himself. Then we can respond to Him by first acknowledging Him as the
Only wise and true God, the One who created us, the One who sustains
us, and the One who lovingly provides for us. We can openly
acknowledge our deep need of Him. We can tell Him how much we love
Him. We can ask Him to forgive us for the ways we forget Him during
the day, and the ways in which we misbehave toward Him and others.
Then we can turn away from such behavior, return to Him, think about
Him, emulate Him, both in our attitudes and our actions, and as we
observe His ways among us, somehow I believe that we will see His
Presence.

What do you think?

Check out this scripture:

Philippians 2

Imitating Christ's Humility

1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any
comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any
tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[1] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[2] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1-11, NIV)

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

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Live It!
Today's best advice for practical Christian living

August 6, 2003

Kids Talk about God: Sensing God's Presence
Carey Kinsolving & Friends

"I feel God's presence in school," says Ridge, age 7. "I feel God's
presence in class."

Ridge, if you can sense God's presence at school in the second grade,
you're light years ahead of where I was at age 7. The presence I
recall most vividly is that of the principal trying to decide what
form of punishment to inflict upon me for what I considered to be
creative behavior. I never could persuade him, or my parents, to see
the paint I sprayed on the school walls as a burst of unbridled
creativity destined for recognition by the world's artistic elite.

All joking aside, Daniel, 9, provides us an example of how God's
presence in our conscience can prevent us from wrongful acts: "I know
when God is around when I am alone, and about to do something bad, but
decide not to do it."

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Those who understand that God is ever present also know that nothing
is hidden from his sight. Do you have a secret? Consider Jesus'
teaching: "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor
anything hidden that will not be known and come to light" (Luke 8:17).

When Mikhail Gorbachev started to introduce reforms into the closed
society of the former Soviet Union, he called it "glasnost," which is
translated "openness." That which had been hidden and lied about, such
as the brutality of the Stalin era, began to come to light.

Live today in the light of God's presence, and enjoy the freedom of
openness. All of us have areas of weakness with which we struggle, but
we don't have to hide them. Embrace the once-for-all forgiveness in
the cross of Christ, and then determine to live openly by confessing
all known sin to him. Agree with God that the sin you've committed was
judged at the cross, and then embrace the Lord's resources to walk in
the light of his Word, his Spirit and fellowship with other believers.

Pollster George Gallup once told me that Americans are the loneliest
people on Earth. He also said that Christians who meet regularly in
small groups live more meaningful lives. Gallup himself has been
meeting with a small group of Christians for many years. It's hard to
experience God's presence when we're trying to live the Christian life
as the Lone Ranger. Jesus established his church as a meeting place
for Christians to encourage one other.

"At church when we are singing, I sometimes close my eyes," says
Marlee, 10. "It is really odd because I feel God, sometimes even in
prayer. I'm standing firm on the ground, and suddenly, something or
someone is pushing me. I think sometimes, it is God, or Jesus, or even
an angel saying something. I feel the pushing quite often, especially
at church."

Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).

We have this direct promise from Jesus about his presence in the midst
of believers gathered in his name. Also, Scripture records many
instances where God manifested himself in special ways when Christians
gathered.

Maybe God has a special way in which he makes his presence known to
you. If that's the case, don't turn it into a formula. And whatever
you do, don't force it on others. We can't put God in a bottle or
package.

Some Christians run all over the country looking for formulas or
blessings associated with certain movements, preachers or cities. By
the time something becomes popular, if there ever was a presence of
God, it has probably departed for a quiet place and a person who is
far from the media hype.

God can come as a gentle dove or mighty rushing wind. It takes
discernment to sense his true presence.

Copyright (c) 2003 Carey Kinsolving. Distributed By Creators
Syndicate, Inc.

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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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