As we continue to explore intimacy with God, this week we will look at the heart value – God Is Near.
Meditate on the following scriptures:
John 14:18-20 (ESV)
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Psalm 139:7-10 (NLT)
7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
Hebrews 10:19-22 (ESV)
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Matthew 1:23 (ESV)
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
You may recall that a value is something that we do not just believe with our head but that we also have experienced in our heart. We do not just want to believe these scriptures are true. We want to have walked in the experiential reality of God’s Presence with us.
So, the questions we can ask ourselves here are:
REFLECTION
• Do you experience the Presence of God with you in your day-to-day activities?
• Is He with you in your car, on the job, in your family time, watching over you as you sleep?
Based on your honest responses to the above do the following:
- Repent of any areas of disbelief. If you have given up on experiencing what the Bible says you can, repent.
- Use your imagination to create a vison for what it would look like to experience God’s nearness 24/7. How would you feel? Write it down.
- Make a habit of inviting the Holy Spirit into your day. In the morning when you wake up. As you drive to work/school. While you eat. In the meeting. Before you go to sleep. Ask Jesus to make your heart tender to the Presence of the Holy Spirit.