Practicing His Presence

Listen Church is not a building. Church is not an event that takes place on Sundays. I know, it's how we think of it. "I go to First Baptist." "We are members of St. Luke's." "Is it time to go to church?" Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all. When the Scripture talks about church, it means community. The little fellowships of the heart that are outposts of the kingdom. A shared life. They worship,…

Most Americans (80 percent) say they don’t have any dreams, and we can imagine why. Life can suck the dreaming right out of you. The living God wants to pour those dreams back in. Sixteen percent of Americans say they do have dreams, but they don’t write them down. Four percent have dreams and desires, and write them down, but less than 1 percent review and update them on a regular basis.It is the people who allow themselves to dream, who own their dreams, who…

We must have the ears and eyes of our heart open to God, expecting to hear and see Him, and being ready to obey. We can prepare our heart to receive from the Lord by knowing His Word, by taking time to listen to the Holy Spirit, and by desiring to hear from Him. As we spend time with God, He places His desires in us. His heart becomes our heart. This is the foundation of hearing His voice and becoming a good listener. It is important to distinguish God’s thoughts from…

God doesn’t need us. He knows exactly what steps to take in order to accomplish His purposes. Yet at the same time, He calls us to be devoted to prayer (Col. 4:2). And if we’ll obey, here are some blessings that await us: • Prayer changes us. As we seek the Lord’s face and spend time in His Word, we’re transformed. His desires become ours, and our thinking more closely aligns with His thoughts. • The Lord answers our petitions. He…

Once known as the World’s Strongest Man, American weightlifter Paul Anderson set a world record at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, despite a severe inner-ear infection and a 103-degree fever. Falling behind frontrunners, his only chance for a gold medal was to set a new Olympic record in his last event. His first two attempts failed badly. So, the burly athlete did what even the weakest among us can do. He called on God for extra strength, letting go of his.…

Prayer is a truly remarkable privilege, and we must be careful to treat it as such. Have you ever paused to consider why a holy God would condescend to even listen to our petitions, let alone answer them? The Lord is so perfect that the smallest hint of sin is incompatible with His presence. Human beings, on the other hand, are inherently sinful. Yet God wants to commune with us, so He made a way for that to be possible. Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, priests…

There are many urgent and practical needs in the world, such as those related to marginalized communities, natural disasters, and struggling families. As a result, prioritizing time with the Lord in His Word and prayer may seem less pressing, but it’s not. Let’s consider reasons for making meditation a daily practice in our life. The primary reward of meditating on Scripture is personal intimacy with God. Think of a good friend or family member. Your closeness…

The time we spend with God in His Word and prayer has an impact on our daily life. As we focus on the Lord and His power, glory, and favor, our perspective becomes increasingly aligned with His. He becomes greater, and our problems and worries become smaller. The apostle Paul was certainly mindful of this. In his letter to the Ephesians, he actively prayed for himself and others to receive a greater understanding of God and all He’s provided for His people through…

Set aside time each day for meditating on God’s Word: Listen for His voice, slowly digest what you read, talk to the Lord, ask Him questions, and apply what you learn. Don’t just read the Bible—study it, perhaps starting with a verse or short passage. Some of you may say, “I’ve never been into that.” My advice: Get into it! The deep things of God don’t just drop into our brains; they are placed there through diligent study. Hunger…