ADVANTAGES OF HIS PRESENCE

MEMORY VERSE: and they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. Judges 15:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: First Corinthians 5-7

One of the things you benefit from spending time in God’s presence is fullness of joy. When you spend time with Him, He fills your heart with joy. Psalm 16:11 says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” A lot of us are full of ‘happiness’ not ‘joy’. Happiness comes when something good happens, maybe your wife delivers a set of twins, or you are promoted at work. Joy is that exceeding gladness in your heart regardless of your situation. In the face of serious challenges and problems, you will still be smiling. The only place to get such joy is in the presence of the Lord not in smoking cannabis or consuming alcohol. I remember when i had challenges at work and people were worried because of the ‘so-called’ evidences against me, i told them, “do not worry, i will be back because Christ in me the hope of glory.” I was able to say that because of the joy of the Lord in my heart.

Another thing one benefits from spending time in His presence is unshakable confidence that all will be well. After the Lord gave Samson victory over the philistines, he retired to the top of rock Etam, a natural stronghold, to spend time with His maker (Judges 15:8). When his brethren came to bind him and deliver him into the hands of the Philistines, he did not panic because he knew that all would be well. All he was concerned about was his brethren not attacking him, because if they tried it, he would be left with no other option than to defend himself and that could result in their death. Judges 15:12 says and they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. When you spend quality time in God’s presence, what others see and run, you will see it and smile. The men of Judah saw the Philistines as the alpha and omega; Samson saw them as lunch. The men of Israel saw Goliath as an indomitable giant, but David, a man who had spent quality time praising God, saw him as a little dog (First Samuel 17:43). Do you know, when you spend quality time in His presence, how you perceive your problem changes? What others see and panic, you will see it and smile. What others see and say, “it is over,” you will see it and say, “this is just the beginning”. When you spend quality time in the place of prayer, what others call a challenge; to you it will be an opportunity. What others call threats, you will call it opportunities. When other sees blood during pregnancy, they panic but when you, who have spent quality time with our Father in heaven, see blood, you smile because you know it is the blood of Jesus not that you have had a miscarriage. A sister who recently put to bed testified how, every time she saw blood, she would confess that it was the blood of Jesus. This happened several times during her pregnancy. At the end, she gave birth to a baby girl.

NOTE: For you to spend time in His presence, you need to bring down His presence first through praises and worship. Psalm 22:3 says, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”  Bring down His presence into that hospital ward by praising Him.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.