Passion for His Presence

 by Pastor Bill Heffelfinger

Passion for His Presence. As a believer, it is a deep longing to sense the presence of Almighty God. As a matter of fact, it is a deep longing to experience His Presence. Yet, we go to church, we do our rituals, and come home feeling either satisfied or wishing there were more. Time passes and we either begin to become content with that or we start looking for what we long for. We tend to go "church hopping" or we quit going to church all together. We don't seem to receive what we have longed for; so we add more and more things to our lives. So much that we have no more room for seeking the presence of God.

Here's the thing, we are the church, and if I am a believer I am a member of the Body of Christ. If I am the Church then I help dictate the ability for God to move in the corporate setting of believers. What I mean is, it is how I enter that setting that determines how much I will experience God in that setting.

I, first of all must experience God all week before entering the setting.  How?  By seeking Him daily, not just a devotional, a Bible reading time, or just prayer on the way to work; I must SEEK Him. If I was looking for a $100 bill that I had lost, I would tear my house up looking for it, I would spend however long it took to find it. The same should be when we are seeking God. Heb. 11:6 says "... He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Next, I must look at my attitude as I enter the building of fellowship.   Am I just coming because it is another Sunday?   Has my heart turned cold toward God and His people?   Do I truly long to be in His presence?  If I truly long to be in the presence of God, Then I will come expecting Him to move. The time of corporate worship is for the believer, we must come longing for the presence of God.

Unbelievers will bring enough junk in their lives to give over to God, but if we have a lot of junk in our own lives, they will be unable because the presence of God will be absent.

Remember, we determine how much God is experienced. We are the conduit for the power of God to flow freely; the power only comes with His presence. For deliverance, healing, and salvation to take place in an unbeliever's life, when they grace the corridors of our buildings, the presence of God must be experienced.

Oh, that we would find ourselves seeking the presence of God so much that nothing else matters. That we would say as Moses did, “Show me your glory!"