Power Of The Gift

Key Scripture:  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” which is translated, “God WITH us.”  Matthew 1:23

Power Point:

     It's not Christmas but what a lovely thought.  I’ve often thought about the gifts God has given us; The Gift of Jesus, The Gift of the Holy Spirit, the Gift of tongues, or miracles or healing. But I don’t think I’ve ever thought of the GIFT of His Presence.

     I’ve read about cultivating His Presence, and seeking His Presence; inviting His presence, and enjoying His Presence.  But as I think about it, the greatest gift, the greatest present we have is the gift of His Presence.

He is always reminding us of the fact that “He is a God, who is WITH us.  He says, “Don’t be afraid, I am with You.”  I will never leave you or abandon you. I will be with you.” 

What does that mean?

-All the power of God is present with me.

-All the power of God is present for me.

-All the love of God is present in me, and it can be released through me.

-I have a fullness of Joy that is not dependent on my circumstances but a gift that continually unfolds in my heart as I think about the gift of His presence.

-I have grace and mercy hunting me down and pursuing me every moment of every day of my life.

-I have love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and the ability to have self-control, faithfully present in me and to me, from the moment I wake up, to the time I go to sleep and all the hours in between.

-I have the presence of His Peace.  He does not get upset or worried about my situations. He’s already got a plan to make them work for good. Therefore I can be AT peace, and IN peace. What a gift that is!

     Do you remember when Moses was getting ready to set out on his journey to the Promised Land as a leader of millions of people? The only thing that he was concerned about was that the Presence of God would go with them. That’s probably really good advice for us too, isn’t it?

     Why was that important to Moses? Because he knew what life was like with it and he knew what it was like without it! He was not moving until God promised to go with them. He knew that a life without God would be impossible to live successfully.

     Beloved, you have the greatest gift that has ever been offered to anyone.

Jesus’ death and resurrection connected you to the gift of His presence. Not just for a brief moment. Not just for a certain event. You have been offered the full, complete, overflowing presence of God as a gift that continually keeps on giving. A gift that will never be taken away. A gift that makes us safe, secure, blessed, and full of faith and hope for the future. Why? 

Because HE is with us.

Because He is with us, we have the promise that:

He’s listening to every word we say.

He will be very much with us in bad times or in good times.

He will deliver us and honor us, and help us to live an overcoming life.

He will satisfy us with a long life worth living.

And He will always show Himself strong on our behalf.

     How does that work?  You open His gift to you. You find those passages that relate to "God With Us", and apply them to your own situations. You refuse to believe that you’re on your own, that its all up to you; that you are powerless or hopeless.

     You dwell. Because you can. Nothing, no one, no thing, can ever separate you from Him, nothing except your own thoughts.  Satan will try to tempt you to feel alone and helpless but the truth is that God says that He is with you.

He is with you to bless you, teach you, encourage you and take care of your cares. He’s with you to hold you tightly in storms and take you through them or calm them. He has prepared a table for you to sit with Him and enjoy tasting the delights of His presence.

After all, Jesus’ name is Immanuel, God WITH us.  Thank You Jesus.

     How would your life be different if you believed that with all your heart and mind and strength?

Exactly.

Power Thought:

“If you stay near to me, I will stay near to you.”

There’s no greater gift is there?