Immersed In God

Exodus 40
34 Then the cloud [God’s visible presence] covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle!
35 And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud remained upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

1 Kings 8
10 When the priests had come out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the Lord’s house,
11 So the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.

Acts 2
2 When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.
…
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].

•⁠ ⁠Three different dwelling places of Almighty God. Each one with its own baptism (immersion) of God! Each one filled with His presence and His Glory! Each one with a clear manifestation of God’s delight to dwell among his people. God’s deepest desire and glory is that He can dwell among His people! Hallelujah, What a Saviour! What a Gospel!
•⁠ ⁠None of these experiences were continuous though. They were symbolic of God’s acceptance and delight to dwell in the place prepared! But life and service continued on after these precious moments.

John 16
13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all Truth. For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].
14 He will honour and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.

•⁠ ⁠The immersion had come and now there was work to be done. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was to be proclaimed and that’s exactly what the apostles did! The experience of Acts 2 is never mentioned again with longing. The disciples never looked back at the physical experience of the upper room wishing they could have that again, but they walked with a forward focus, proclaiming Jesus Christ, and taught us with obedience, joy and boldness to walk in The Holy Spirit, and to be being FILLED with HIM!
•⁠ ⁠But if we find that we feel empty, if we find that we hunger for more of Him, if we find that we feel a thirst and a dryness, we can do so rejoicing in all that He has given us! If we are thirsty, PRAISE THE LORD, we can drink from the Living Waters! If we hunger, PRAISE THE LORD for we shall be filled!! OH HALLELUJAH! There is never a reason strong enough to ever stop praising The Lord!! So let us continue to bring our sacrifices of praise, for The Lord inhabits the praises of His people! And if we bring to The Lord our songs of praise and rejoicing we shall never leave empty but full of HIM!!

Standing In The Breach

Exodus 32
10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and that I may destroy them; but I will make of you a great nation.
11 But Moses besought the Lord his God…
…
14 Then the Lord turned from the evil which He had thought to do to His people.

What if Moses hadn’t interceded? What if Moses had simply accepted God’s word and Israel’s fate? God was not joking or merely suggesting in order to test Moses, the Israelite people were as good as destroyed!

Psalm 106
23 Therefore He said He would destroy them. [And He would have done so] had not Moses, His chosen one, stepped into the breach before Him to turn away His threatening wrath.

Moses, who placed himself between The Lord and the people, successfully interceded on behalf of God’s Glory and the people of Israel. Man moved God! But note that Moses’ primary focus in prayer was for the Glory of God, not the excusing of man! Exodus 32:11-13.
⁠Moses, who is introduced to us as a man of feeble faith, not knowing God and questioning His ability, had power with God to cause Him to repent! He had no provision that we don’t have today, in fact he had less! He didn’t have the power and revelation of The Holy Spirit. He was simply a man who had come to know God so intimately through submission and obedience, that his heart longed for and reflected The Lord’s heart. He desired, more than anything else, to see God truly known and glorified on the earth!

Matthew 9
37 Then He (Jesus) said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the labourers are few.
38 So pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest to force out and send labourers into His harvest.

It takes faith to believe that you can move the heart of God. Faith doesn’t pray in uncertainty but with assurance and confident rejoicing and rest. Oh let us pray with faith! Let us pray for The Lord to restore His Glory in His name. Let us pray for the chaff to be removed. Let us pray for The Lord’s testimony to be great amongst His people, and in us! Let us pray for there to be a shout of praise in the camp, a song of joy in the hearts of the redeemed and HIS rest/victory in our daily lives! Let us pray expectantly for the lost and for the labourers who share the Good News. Let us pray that more labourers be sent out into HIS harvest. For the field is HIS and it is HIS plentiful harvest! So many lives depend on our intercession. Consider the consequence if we do not!
May we yield to the life of Christ within us and allow His desires to be ours. We have the power available to us, in Jesus, to move the heart of God for those who are destined for destruction! May our hearts be stirred and our faith fortified to beseech God for His glory and that He might, by our intercession, receive the reward of His suffering.

No More Sad

1 Samuel 1
15 …I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I was pouring out my soul before the Lord.
16 Regard not your handmaid as a wicked woman; for out of my great complaint and bitter provocation I have been speaking.
17 Then Eli said, Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.
18 Hannah said, Let your handmaid find grace in your sight. So she went her way and ate, her countenance no longer sad.

•⁠ ⁠There was no sudden and miraculous change in Hannah’s circumstance. When she left the temple that day she had to go back to the same bitter enmity and ridicule that she had been dealing with for so many years. In the flesh there was no immediate comfort, support or remedy to her pain. The storm still raged, the enemy did not draw back…
•⁠ ⁠The only change to be seen that day was in her face, meaning her disposition or her attitude. She was no more sad. She was no more in defeat and shame. She was no more hopeless and sorrowful. She was no more overwhelmed, exasperated, frustrated or weary.
•⁠ ⁠So what did change for Hannah? She lifted her gaze. She was no longer looking at her self through eyes of flesh but seeing, by faith, the loving kindnesses and tender mercies of The Lord. She was no longer looking earthward but Godward, to the promises and testimonies of The Lord. She looked beyond her self and saw The Lord. Hanna cast ALL of her care upon The Lord. She lay all of her burdens down at His feet. She cast herself upon His goodness and mercy and she truly trusted in Him. She cried out and vowed that the fruit/blessing of The Lord would be HIS testimony and for HIS glory and honour. She was no longer lusting for the blessing but found comfort, peace and rest in the one who blesses.
•⁠ ⁠We only know Hannah’s name because of the fruit of this faith. There was nothing royal or powerful about her. She was just a woman longing for a child, longing to be fruitful. But as she cried out to The Lord and poured out her complaint to Him, as she yielded to His will and glory, she became a woman of quiet, confident, assured faith. The testimony of The Lord came from that faith. It was not until Hannah rose up no more sad that fruit and testimony came. A Mighty work, far more than Hannah prayed for or could have imagined!
•⁠ ⁠May we learn to have such faith as Hannah. May we be like Moses, “for he had respect unto the rewarder of the reward… for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:26-27

Romans 15
13 May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.

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.