Evidence of Abiding

Psalm 84
4 Blessed (happy) are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

•⁠ ⁠Truly, those in live/abide in the presence of God are rejoicing evermore and giving thanks in all things. It’s like a litmus test… If you want to know those people who are living in the presence of God, look to see the ones who are rejoicing and singing The Lord’s praises all day long! Unfortunately, it seems to be easier to find those who aren’t.
•⁠ ⁠Grasp this principle/truth: Those who live in the presence of God are rejoicing!! They are joyfully singing His praises from the depths of their hearts! They are NOT just singing songs that make them feel! They are declaring HIM! God’s people today are in desperate need to understand the difference between praising and performing! Praise is an offering, a gift of declaration from the heart! It is to sing and shout God’s glory unto Him and to declare the truth from within! God inhabits our praises but abhors our performances!

Exodus 34
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of the Testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone and sent forth beams by reason of his speaking with the Lord.

•⁠ ⁠There was evidence that Moses had been in the presence of God. He had spent so long with The Lord that some of God’s glory had been imparted and was now evident in His appearance.
•⁠ ⁠It is evident when a believer has spent time living in the presence of The Lord. Perhaps there is not the same shining of face as Moses physical appearance but there will most certainly be a shining of the personality in The Spirit of Christ and a beaming character of joy! This evidence is plainly lacking in those who have not spent time with The Lord.
•⁠ ⁠As we spend time in His presence, His glory is imparted to us. The longer we are there, the more intimate the meeting, the more the glory is imparted, the more we will sing His praises! Hallelujah!!
•⁠ ⁠Whatever your circumstance, whatever the trial, whatever the difficulty… If you are not rejoicing, get to Jesus! Get to the presence of God! Abide in Him, practice His presence, be aware of His constant caring… Do not let your mind or heart leave Him! Cast yourself upon His goodness, His promises, His testimonies, His loving kindness and tender mercy…. and stay there; live in the wonder, praise and joy of knowing that you are in Him and that He is in you!
•⁠ ⁠“The only reason we don’t have the spirit of rejoicing is because of unbelief…. If I’m not rejoicing, it’s because of unbelief.” – David Wilkerson

Evidence Of Blessing

Ruth 2
19 …Blessed be the man who noticed you…

There was clear evidence of blessing in Ruth. She came back abundantly blessed. Her shawl full and running over! She had provision of food for Naomi and a wonderful amount of grain. This was so much more than she could have produced on her own.
It is so lovely that Naomi recognised the favour bestowed on Ruth. Shouldn’t it be so clear in our lives? Does the world see our abundance of grain; our hearts full and running over with the joy, peace and satisfaction of The Lord? Do family, friends and close ones see that we’ve been with Jesus? Can they smell the sweet fragrance of The Lord and see a life overflowing with the fruit of The Spirit?
We have been given so much! We have access to all that Jesus Christ is and we can appropriate all that He has gained for us in The Father. By faith may we take full advantage of all that has been won for us in Jesus Christ and may the world see how abundantly blessed we are to be the children of The Loving Heavenly Father, joint heirs with Christ, accepted in The Beloved. Hallelujah!

2 Peter 1
3 For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

What Sets Us Apart?

Exodus 33
15 And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!
16 For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favour in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?

Is it The Lord’s presence that distinguishes you from the those around you? Does the world see an individual who lives in the presence of The Creator God, walking in HIS joy, peace, love, power and testimony?
Or are we distinguished merely by moralism or legalism? Are we distinguished by our denomination/church label? Are we distinguished by only our isolation or lifestyle?
What does the world see in God’s people? Do they see a people set apart unto The Lord? Do they see a people who have “I AM” living within them? Do they see a people following after and calling after God? What do my work colleagues, friends and family see in me? Do they see The Lord and HIS testimony? Or do they see mere “Christianity”, religion and pride?

Exodus 34
9 And he said, If now I have found favor and loving-kindness in Your sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray You, go in the midst of us, although it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance.

Moses was desperate for The Lord to be in the midst of His people. He longed to see The Lord dwelling amongst them. He doesn’t pray just for personal guidance and fellowship, he beseeches The Lord, “Our Father”, that He would be amongst “us”, His brethren, leading and guiding the congregation, the sheep that He has delivered!
Note “midst of us”, “our iniquity”, “take us”, Moses identifies himself with the people. Moses identifies the same heart within Himself and confesses our iniquity and our sin and our need for The Lord to be among us! He is not better than them or above them or apart from them.
Let us pray together as Moses did to be distinguished in the world by The Lord’s presence! Let us learn to be mindful of Our Father’s constant presence among us. His presence is not experienced by sense but enjoyed by faith!! Let us be careful to pray with the same meekness and humility to be distinguished from the world but not from our brethren.
By faith, may He be in all our momentary thoughts and have all our attention as we walk in His Spirit. By faith may we enjoy Him and all that He is minute by minute…
“O Lord, let the Lord, I pray You, go in the midst of us!”

The Lord Has Made Room For Us

Genesis 26
19 Now Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of living [spring] water.
20 And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, The water is ours. And he named the well Esek [contention] because they quarreled with him.
21 Then [his servants] dug another well, and they quarreled over that also; so he named it Sitnah [enmity].
22 And he moved away from there and dug another well, and for that one they did not quarrel. He named it Rehoboth [room], saying, For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

•⁠ ⁠Room (Rest, peace, provision, space) won by fleshly contention will not last. It will soon be contended against again. There will be no peace or safety. It will be a fleshy existence.
•⁠ ⁠Room provided to us by The Lord is unchallenged. It is a space with time to grow, mature and bear fruit. It is joy and peace, praise and worship and a testimony unto The Lord’s glory!
•⁠ ⁠There was no contention for Rehoboth. There was no strife or frustration. The place had been prepared ahead of time by The Lord and Isaac’s rest and trust in His Lord allowed Him to discover Rehoboth. How many times have we fought when we should have moved on? Are we living in frustration or are we living in joyful rest knowing that The Lord has made room for us? “that where I am you may be also” John 14:3
•⁠ ⁠May our faith be at rest in The Lord and ever trusting/looking for His Rehoboths. May we learn not to fight, strive, contend for our own understanding. He, The God of all the earth, has gone before us. He is the Author of our faith and He has written beautiful and wonderful plans for us which He will lead us into as we trust and rest in Him. He has already won every victory and He has already provided every need. Hallelujah! May we be found abiding in Him.

2 Peter 1
3 …His divine power has given to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue:

But I Will Sing

Psalm 59

“let them”

Let them doubt, reject, hate and offend. Allow them to do and be what they will. Let the enemy threaten. Let the world party. Let the restless and wicked scheme and plot.
Understand/remember that the wicked are slaves to their master. All they know is their service to self, disunity, fear and hate.
Do not retaliate, defend your self or take matters into your own hands. Do not let your heart be troubled. Do not give place to your own flesh.
Let them strive but you Be Still… Dwell in the secret place of The Most High, for no evil can affect you there. Abide in Christ, for there is nothing but peace that passes understanding and joy unspeakable in Him!

“But I will”

Sing God’s praises! Open your mouth and sing! Let HIS everlasting joy flow out of you! Let HIS life-giving streams flow from your belly! Sing of His goodness, sing of His testimonies, sing of His promises!! Allow your heart to truly dwell in gratitude, count your blessings and rejoice for He is doing exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or imagine, He is doing all things well, He is making all things beautiful in His time and making all things work together for good! Hallelujah!!
Surrender and sing!! We can sing because He hears and answers prayer, we can sing for He has given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness. He has already won every victory, He is providing every need. Surrender your fears, needs and desires to Him and then sing in the freedom and liberty that He gives when you do.
God’s people have so much to sing about?! Bring a sacrifice of praise! Our Heavenly Father is worthy, and when you give Him the little praise that you have you will always leave full! The Lord inhabits the praises of His people! He delights in their praises! He has placed His glory in it! Think about that! His glory is in the praise and worship of redeemed man!
Let us be found singing praises from our innermost being! May we be a people of praise and joy in The Lord in a world of striving, impatience and self! Let them… But I will sing!! Hallelujah!!