Lack of God's Presence

I believe it true, all men truly desire to know the Lord. I don't know if there is a single person who has not desired an encounter with Him. Too often, however, people have been caused to believe, "You can't experience God."

Jim Morrison of the Doors said, "You can't petition the Lord in prayer."

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull said, "God is not the kind you wind up on Sundays."

Because men in the churches have chosen to not wait on the Lord and follow Christ's example of departing to a solitary place (as was his manner) well before dawn to pray, the Holy Spirit has left the churches. If someone goes to a church to find an experience with God, he finds only religious structure. The Holy Spirit has left. God's presence is not there. God can't be wound up on Sundays.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a man's life can only be evident as he spends intimate time with Him. It was said of the disciples, "they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (Ac. 4. 13)." Follow His example, watch and pray as He said, "Can you not watch with me for but one hour?" God's presence will become undeniable in you.

Jim Morrison had it wrong. You CAN petition the Lord in prayer. You MUST petition the Lord in prayer and be contrite and repentant before Almighty God. Living that way will cause you to move the hand of God in prayer. To any person who stays out of the place of defilement and regularly waits on the Lord, will the Father send a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The presence of the Holy Ghost will be undeniable in his life.

Since this is an individual event, all those in each church must similarly wait on the Lord every day for the presence of God to be evident in their lives and in their church once again. I pray, O God, those leaders in the churches will live this way and teach the people accordingly. Your message to the churches is, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent (Re. 2. 5)."

Cause them, O God, to see the candlestick (from which comes the presence of the Holy Ghost) has been removed. Cause them to remember from whence they have fallen. Grant them, O God, repentance. May each individual be of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Every day, O Lord, you remind me how far I had fallen, the shame of choosing the pleasures of Egypt and you show me your mercy. I'm no better than anyone. I'm simply a beggar who has found where there is food.

Victory Over Destruction

I heard, some time ago, a curse from someone in high places, "Your nation will be destroyed from within." It seems, that was an astoundingly accurate prophecy.
Those who know biblical prophecy know the last chapter in the Book:
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads (Rev.22.1-4).

But now, many places of worship seem to have a certain spiritual deadness. There is no expectancy of God, there is little belief He is present nor is there belief He will live in His people to do His will that His kingdom may come.

From the outside one may observe the approach of people to the place of worship as in a common or profane manner. In other words, I go there wearing the same clothes I work in. Inside, my manner and conversation is the same as if I just walked into a coffee shop, not as if I entered the presence of a holy God. As a minister of music, I play in the same way I would at the night club, even some of the same material. I go not having sought the face of the Lord so that my ministry may provide something from the Throne Room of Almighty God. In fact, if I took it seriously, I'd seek God diligently every day for that hour of ministry in the building or room designated as the place of worship. Yet, I merely bring my earthly talents before God and men, expecting God to receive my common display and make it holy.

Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name [in those things] which they hallow unto me: I [am] the LORD (Le. 22.2).

I still serve the same God who does not accept a blemished sacrifice. Service to him is to be holy. Those who minister are to be holy. Our approach to the Lord is to be holy, not entering as a common place talking about things of the world but entering to meet corporately in the presence of a holy God.

In my next post, I will discuss our falling for a season followed by God's "recovery" in which, we are made to shine as stars.