WEBVTT 00:04.469 --> 00:10.245 [SPEAKER_00]: God's presence is real, full of love, and completely transformational. 00:11.127 --> 00:13.915 [SPEAKER_00]: It takes what was broken and brings healing. 00:14.737 --> 00:20.352 [SPEAKER_00]: It takes what was lost and guides us to our rightful place in the Father. 00:20.332 --> 00:31.826 [SPEAKER_00]: It satisfies the weary, brings light to the darkness, and pours out the refreshing rain of God's love on the driest, deepest parts of the soul. 00:32.847 --> 00:44.601 [SPEAKER_00]: Today, we're beginning a new series, focusing on deepening our understanding and practice of God's presence by focusing on the reality of His presence. 00:44.885 --> 00:52.149 [SPEAKER_00]: May God open our eyes and hearts to see and sense His nearness in a meaningful way today. 00:52.932 --> 00:55.300 [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the first 15 podcast. 01:16.863 --> 01:38.165 [SPEAKER_00]: Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 139 verses 7 and 8, Scripture says, Where shall I go from your Spirit or where shall I flee from your presence? 01:39.326 --> 01:41.969 [SPEAKER_00]: If I ascend to heaven, you are there. 01:42.870 --> 01:46.313 [SPEAKER_00]: If I make my bed and shield, you are there. 01:48.250 --> 02:00.623 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a troubling truth in Christianity today that many believers don't know about or aren't experiencing continual encounter with the real manifest presence of God. 02:01.582 --> 02:17.299 [SPEAKER_00]: The Bible contains story after story of life-changing world-altering encounters with the reality of God's presence, from Moses in the tent of meeting to the disciples at Pentecost. 02:18.200 --> 02:26.188 [SPEAKER_00]: We continually read about God's supernaturally encountering His people in real transformative ways. 02:26.810 --> 02:35.301 [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus died so that we might walk in communion with our Heavenly Father, not only in heaven, but here on this earth. 02:37.043 --> 02:44.753 [SPEAKER_00]: The biblical characters modeled what it was to experience God consistently in both the new and old testament. 02:46.396 --> 02:55.888 [SPEAKER_00]: God in His desire to have restored relationship with you has made the reality of His presence fully available to you. 02:57.083 --> 03:01.873 [SPEAKER_00]: through the death of Christ, there is nothing separating you from Him. 03:03.576 --> 03:13.978 [SPEAKER_00]: Before we dive into the different stories of God's manifest presence on the earth, let's take time to focus on the biblical basis for encountering God. 03:15.292 --> 03:28.750 [SPEAKER_00]: open your heart and mind to the truth about God's nearness, and allow your faith to be stirred for all the ways your Heavenly Father would transform your life through encounter with him. 03:30.532 --> 03:37.401 [SPEAKER_00]: Psalm 139 verses 7 and 8 says, where shall I go from your spirit? 03:37.820 --> 03:41.593 [SPEAKER_00]: or where shall I flee from your presence? 03:41.613 --> 03:44.463 [SPEAKER_00]: If I ascend to heaven, you are there. 03:44.503 --> 03:48.657 [SPEAKER_00]: If I make my bed and shield, you are there. 03:50.240 --> 04:02.152 [SPEAKER_00]: in Acts 17 verses 26 through 28 says, and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth. 04:03.313 --> 04:15.285 [SPEAKER_00]: Having determined a lot of periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. 04:15.265 --> 04:19.271 [SPEAKER_00]: Yet, he is actually not far from each one of us. 04:20.232 --> 04:24.638 [SPEAKER_00]: For in him we live and move and have our being. 04:25.720 --> 04:31.088 [SPEAKER_00]: As even some of your own poets have said, for we are indeed his offspring. 04:33.611 --> 04:40.581 [SPEAKER_00]: Scripture is clear that God is omnipresent and his presence can be tangible to us. 04:41.776 --> 04:43.998 [SPEAKER_00]: David describes God's presence this way. 04:44.859 --> 04:54.109 [SPEAKER_00]: In your presence, there is fullness of joy at your right hand, our pleasures for evermore, that Psalm 16, 11. 04:54.450 --> 05:04.401 [SPEAKER_00]: And the sons of Korah wrote in Psalm 84 verses one and two, how lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts? 05:05.462 --> 05:10.247 [SPEAKER_00]: My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. 05:10.784 --> 05:14.851 [SPEAKER_00]: My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 05:16.473 --> 05:24.406 [SPEAKER_00]: Then in verses 10 through 12 they declare, for a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. 05:25.508 --> 05:32.640 [SPEAKER_00]: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 05:33.498 --> 05:36.303 [SPEAKER_00]: For the Lord God is a son and shield. 05:37.384 --> 05:39.949 [SPEAKER_00]: The Lord bestows favor and honor. 05:41.251 --> 05:45.798 [SPEAKER_00]: No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 05:47.160 --> 05:51.287 [SPEAKER_00]: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you. 05:53.900 --> 06:01.053 [SPEAKER_00]: There is no doubt in looking a scripture that God's presence is real, good, and available to us. 06:02.456 --> 06:04.420 [SPEAKER_00]: Rest in the truth of that for a moment. 06:05.802 --> 06:13.697 [SPEAKER_00]: You can consistently enter into the tangible presence of your heavenly Father, anywhere and anytime. 06:14.318 --> 06:18.748 [SPEAKER_00]: have faith today, that God created you to experience Him. 06:20.131 --> 06:24.721 [SPEAKER_00]: Encountering His presence is made possible entirely by His grace. 06:25.703 --> 06:30.133 [SPEAKER_00]: So it is available apart from any good or bad thing you do. 06:31.193 --> 06:35.037 [SPEAKER_00]: But, know that God will never force His presence on you. 06:36.179 --> 06:39.503 [SPEAKER_00]: He only fills up what is open and ready to receive. 06:40.964 --> 06:48.774 [SPEAKER_00]: He sweetly calls you to meet with Him, and waits for you to make space in your life to receive what He longs to give. 06:50.856 --> 06:56.863 [SPEAKER_00]: There is no more life giving pursuit you can embark on than the pursuit of God's presence. 06:57.907 --> 07:09.245 [SPEAKER_00]: Spending time resting in Him is meant to be the satisfaction that lays a foundation for you to live the life of abundance made available to you through Jesus. 07:10.908 --> 07:16.236 [SPEAKER_00]: Your role in encountering God is simply seeking Him. 07:16.216 --> 07:32.580 [SPEAKER_00]: If you will make time to encounter Him, open your heart and have faith in His Word, then you will discover the wellspring of life, joy, love, and transformation that is the presence of our Heavenly Father. 07:34.823 --> 07:40.812 [SPEAKER_00]: Due to Aronomy 429 says, you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him. 07:41.332 --> 07:45.919 [SPEAKER_00]: If you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 07:47.924 --> 08:05.832 [SPEAKER_00]: seek and find the presence of the living God today, as you meditate on his word and pray. 08:20.341 --> 08:35.841 [SPEAKER_00]: As we begin, meditate on the availability of God's presence, allow your faith to be stirred up in response to God's Word. 08:36.882 --> 08:47.175 [SPEAKER_00]: Psalm 145 verse 18 says, The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 09:05.532 --> 09:34.527 [SPEAKER_00]: And next, meditate on the goodness of God's presence. 09:35.654 --> 10:02.303 [SPEAKER_00]: allow your desires to be stirred, as you read about the wonders of encountering the living God, Psalm 1611 says, you make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is 10:12.458 --> 10:37.588 [UNKNOWN]: Thank you. 10:39.509 --> 10:40.150 [SPEAKER_00]: and last. 10:41.412 --> 10:43.574 [SPEAKER_00]: Open your heart to receive His presence. 10:45.156 --> 10:47.960 [SPEAKER_00]: Ask the Spirit to make known God's nearness. 10:49.803 --> 10:56.011 [SPEAKER_00]: See His presence and have faith in His Word that when you seek Him, you will find Him. 10:57.953 --> 11:00.657 [SPEAKER_00]: Deuteronomy 429 says, 11:00.890 --> 11:05.087 [SPEAKER_00]: But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him. 11:05.127 --> 11:10.630 [SPEAKER_00]: If you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 11:36.125 --> 11:55.089 [SPEAKER_00]: In his book The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. 11:55.109 --> 12:05.743 [SPEAKER_00]: Tozerot, with our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine presence. 12:06.635 --> 12:14.827 [SPEAKER_00]: We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God and adoring silence. 12:17.731 --> 12:31.191 [SPEAKER_00]: May His statement not be true of you, may you discover the majesty of your God, may you be a child of God who consistently spends time in the presence of the Father. 12:31.846 --> 12:39.620 [SPEAKER_00]: May you be able to leave her who is empowered with the very presence of God Himself, working in and through your life. 12:41.243 --> 12:53.466 [SPEAKER_00]: Grow in your pursuit of His presence this week, commit to earnestly seeking Him and allow this week to be transformational in the way you spend time with God. 13:09.612 --> 13:14.102 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening to today's devotional, I'm Josh Miller with verse 15. 13:14.944 --> 13:21.338 [SPEAKER_00]: As you go about your day today, look for ways God is drawing you to a deeper, upbiding connection with him. 13:22.320 --> 13:29.275 [SPEAKER_00]: And when you sense him drawing, take just a moment to set everything else aside and lean into him. 13:29.255 --> 13:41.204 [SPEAKER_00]: If you're new to this daily devotional and are looking to spend a meaningful, consistent time alone with God every day you can click the follow button to make sure you won't miss one of these guides to God's presence. 13:42.187 --> 13:46.858 [SPEAKER_00]: Have a wonderful rest of your day and may God bless you as you see him.