The presence of God
God says draw near to Me and I will draw near to you and with that statement God made religion or the ideas of religion void. Religion gives man a set of rules to follow and it’s very ironic that the only set of people Jesus couldn’t affect were religious people.
Moses was a man like no other says the bible, whom the Lord knew face to face. He is credited as being the humblest man, which he had to be because he was exiled for 40 yrs. in the wilderness after being raised for 40 yrs. in the palace of the greatest kingdom on earth. He was shunned by his own people for trying to help them. No one wanted him.
We all know how one meeting with God at the burning bush restored his life & made him the great deliverer. Even though he was like no other, he couldn’t finish the journey God called him for. That job was given to another man. Who would follow such a man? What qualities would God look for to finish the task at hand?
Exodus 33:11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
Moses had open access to draw near to God face to face and then he would return back to the camp but there was another man who didn’t have such access but still stayed in the tent long after Moses would leave. This man loved nothing more than the presence of God. He wasn’t shy or a loner or an introvert. He wasn’t trying to hide or avoid life. He was actually a great warrior & commander who conquered 31 kings.
His name was Joshua which in Hebrew is “Yehoshua”, meaning “Yahweh is salvation”. In Greek it is translated as Jesus which is uncanny since here was a man who loved the presence of God and who led God’s people from 40 yrs. of wilderness to a land of rest full of milk and honey.
God’s presence has the power to embolden us. It says that Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom. Wisdom is the knowhow on how to handle any given situation under any given circumstance with enough conviction to lead an entire nation or a people.
Joshua had a different appetite than everyone else, even Caled.
Appetite is a sign of health & virility while addiction is a twisted version of it. Both are very powerful engines in a human being as they are magnets that pull us in their direction. This is the very battle between spirit & flesh.
If you grow up eating injera, you can be 5000 miles away & no other meal can satisfy like it. Why is that? There is an attachment there that gives comfort/rest because you are very familiar to it. The appetite for injera is far greater than an appetite for any other food. There is a preference and a priority.
Now, imagine what would happen if we lived a life with an appetite for God like that? Daniel had a habit of praying 3 times daily & he had such an excellent spirit that even the ungodly king acknowledged how great Daniel’s God was. How does a king who decrees for everyone to bow to him end up respecting Daniel for defying him & revering his God?
We talk about winning battles, being great leaders, finishing God’s call in our lives, doing such excellent work that even unbelievers marvel at our work ethic & productivity, being full of wisdom, knowing what to do and when but we fall short because we fail to keep a very simple principle like Jesus, Joshua & Daniel. It all starts with our appetites. What are we hungry for? Who or what do we find fulfillment in?
Mat 6:33 Seek 1st the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all these things will be added to you.
Jesus calls us a friend and friendships are formed when we decide to spend time together. Have you noticed how close friends share intimate secrets & have similar personalities and even outlooks in life?
Who is your best friend in life? Is it your husband/wife/someone you grew up with? How about the king of Glory? Joshua stayed back in the tent because he had a great appetite for the presence of God & when he went out to battle or to lead God’s people, it became 2nd nature to him. He inherited God’s personality in being victorious & a leader.
When we dwell with God, there is a transfer of value.
Our empty cup becomes full of God & when that happens, nothing else can ever fill it but God. No one will compare or even come close. That is my prayer & goal in life. To be so full of God that the only thing that matters is the glory of God. The best part is when that glory hits our lives, our homes, our work place, our environment, our nation, then God’s will, will be fulfilled automatically. How awesome would that be! Learn to dwell & watch God explode inside you!
By Finney Araya