Be Ready and Watch
We must be ready and alert—spiritually awake to know what God is doing. Only through a heart connected to God in worship and prayer will our lamp be kept burning.
"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning." (Luke 12:35 NKJV)
In this passage, it is important to embrace "being girded," as it means being ready to serve. As we read on, we see Jesus says that the Master responds, girding Himself to serve those who are found doing these things.
"Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them." (Luke 12:37 NKJV)
There is a blend of servanthood being combined with a life of prayer that brings forth Kingdom results in our lives. After all, the greatest will be those who have chosen to be servants of all. In a self-serving world, God is looking for those who will have a heart to serve in love—not to be noticed. Our heart should be to serve God and serve others. Jesus came to serve and to help. He also sent us the Helper, the Holy Spirit. The heart that has these ingredients of service and prayer will have a great impact.
"Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." (Luke 2:36–37 NKJV)
Here we see that even our prayers are a form of service to God. When we serve the Lord with our prayers, this has high value in Heaven's eyes. By embracing these core elements of service and prayer, we will see exponential transformation in the heart, with things being greatly affected that are in our circle of influence. There are desperate people out there who need help and just don't know how to get it. These are keys that have the ability to open the doors of hearts.
Communion with God
Recently in a dream, I saw someone I knew from some time back. I asked what he was doing. His response was "just walking," with an empty look in his eyes. I told him that could be an opportunity to commune with the Lord and spend time with Him; rather than just walking, he could put some eternal value into it.
After I said this to him, he wanted to show me an analogy of faith with an object. I corrected him, saying, "This is not what you need." I was attempting to direct him into devotional life, but he wouldn't listen. He was reverting to his old religious training that was dead and lifeless. (Photo via Pexels)
This is a picture of how religiosity works. When someone is religious and empty, they drift off into principles and laws rather than a love relationship with God. They lose their first love. They don't know how to seek the Lord or connect in His presence. When I mentioned what was basically a life of communion with God through prayer, he reverted to pragmatic principles instead. It was not what he needed. What we need is to hunger and thirst for the Lord.
Just as Jesus met the woman at the well, she did the very same thing to Jesus, as she tried to "know something religious," going back into what she knew from what someone else had taught her. Jesus responded with "The water that I give will be a well springing up into everlasting life!" (see John 4:14). So much for principles, laws, and what you know. Jesus was bringing a living, experiential encounter into her life. He was saying, "Lady, you don't have a clue. These waters are going to literally blow your mind!"
This is the peace that passes understanding, the joy unspeakable and full of glory, the love that never fails. This is not about what you know. This is true heavenly substance that will transform your life forever. This is the glory that will cover the earth as the waters cover the seas (Habakkuk 2:14).
Drink from the Well of God's Presence
The Lord says, "Come to the well and drink." What in the world is that supposed to mean? Come to the well and drink? That is called knowing and experiencing the reality of God's Spirit and presence. This is not an intellectual exercise in your head; God only connects with your heart. By connecting with you in your heart, He can change your thinking. This is where true faith begins. It is the living, proceeding word that comes fresh from the mouth of God to your heart.
Jesus was able to perform miracles, not by quoting a million Scriptures but by abiding in the Father. The example is seen in the sons of Sceva, who tried to cast out a demon and were clobbered because they only had principles but no relationship with God.
"And the evil spirit answered and said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?'
"Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 19:15–16 NKJV)
This is where a lot of Christians live—in defeat. Some keep hammering pragmatic principled responses, even with God's Word, but are not pressing into the relationship with God.
God has given us the best handbook, the Bible. But it is not a replacement for the relationship. You can read all about your wife, but the bottom line is she wants to interact with you. She doesn't want a relationship with your brain or intellect but your heart. The same is true with God, as we are married to the Lord. This is God's divine design, that we would be connected to Him, spirit to Spirit. (Photo via Pexels)
"For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." (1 Corinthians 2:11–12 NKJV)
The substance of the Spirit is found in the relationship, our spirit (the spirit of man) communicating with His Spirit (the Spirit of God). Our authority in Christ is found in the relationship. It is not what you know but WHO you know.
God Doesn't Want You Walking Around Empty
Jesus had constant communion (communication) with God as a man filled with the Spirit as an example for us. He was the WORD made flesh. He was filled with the substance of God's glory through abiding and was anointed by the Spirit with power.
The Lord does not want us walking around empty. We are vessels that need to be filled to overflowing with His presence. The man in my dream needed refreshing, to be made new, and brought back to life. Old principles and religious teaching will not cut it. Only the river of God's presence will bring us back to life.
To Know Christ Above All Else
Paul, being one of the most (if not the most) intellectual people, told us to be "filled with the Spirit" through songs and making melody in our hearts. He was an expert in the law and counted it all loss. For what? To KNOW Christ in His sufferings and resurrection power.
In other words, in real life, in the midst of difficulty, challenges, and resistance—because we are not compromising to the spirit of this world—there is still peace, joy, and love that abides in us through His abiding presence. Times of refreshing are still flowing from the presence of the Lord, because we are still heading in His direction.
If you are in compromise, just doing what the world does, then you are in sin and need to repent. If you are not willing to stand up for what is right and are just being a people pleaser, you need to repent. We only live to please one Person; God has the only thoughts that ultimately matter. (Photo via Pixabay)
There is no condemnation if you are not experiencing God. But if you are not, you should take inventory of your life. How badly do you want the reality of God in your life? Does it even matter to you? If it doesn't, there is an issue. Are you escaping into a counterfeit experience through alcohol/drugs, the pleasures of life, and other things? Jesus stands at the door and knocks, but you have to open the door.
Two Reactions to the Presence of the Lord
There are two reactions to the presence of the Lord. People will either run to it or run from it. It's sad. Many use the term "presence" but don't have a clue about the reality of what His presence is really like. When they finally experience it, they are convicted of their sins and run because they've been taught that sin is okay.
Sloppy grace churches teach that you can love God and love sin at the same time. This couldn't be further from the truth. We are to hate the garment that is even stained with sin. Jesus told us to pluck out our eye if it causes us to sin. What does that mean? Deal with it! Get rid of it. There comes a promise of refreshing from God's presence when we repent of sin. You can be washed by the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit and be made new.
Holiness is a beautiful thing. God is holy. He is the most beautiful of all. He calls us to live holy lives. We are saints, which means "holy ones." We are set apart to God. Holiness works from the inside out, not the outside in. When we receive the Holy Spirit, He works from inside of us, transforming us. Religious teaching works from the outside in. It is works based and has nothing to do with God's work on the inside. This is why only relationship through communion with God's Spirit works to change us on the inside. The Spirit causes us to delight in the Lord and His desires.
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John Belt
Overflow Global Ministries
Email:Â hello@overflowglobal.com
Website:Â www.overflowglobal.com
John and Brandi Belt are the leaders of Overflow Global Ministries. The heart of their message is that God's greatest desire is to indwell His people with His presence. They believe that man was created to be inhabited by God through His Spirit. With a sincere devotion to God through the Holy Spirit, people can live in a place of overflow in His presence. This overflow translates into touching the lives of others through living encounters with God. When John and Brandi minister, the intimate presence of God is manifest being accompanied with demonstrations of God's power to heal, revive, and restore.
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