April 2012
by John Paul Jackson
When we are filled with God’s presence, people who don’t know Him go out of their way to find out what is different about us. They see hope for change in us, and they want to know how this is possible and how it works. “What is this that you have, and can I have it, too?” The presence of God is a huge attractant. People are not attracted to us because of who we are; their responses are not necessarily based on the good decisions we have made or the great men and women of God who have taught us. They simply pick up on God’s presence within us.
Radiating His Light God’s presence is like a magnet. My greatest joy doesn’t come when I stand behind a pulpit and speak at a church or conference. My greatest joy comes when I walk through a busy mall or airport, and someone who does not know me comes up to me and says, “Would you pray for me?” Or, “Can I talk to you about something? I know I need to talk to you.” That tells me God is with me to an extent that people who do not know Him can recognize Him in me. I ask the Lord to help me radiate His light so that people will see His light in me and His presence in me will attract them to Him. In everything I do and say, I try to propel people into a place where the world sees them and experiences this sense of, There is something about this person that I need. Those seekers then discover that they are seeing God manifested in His family.
CLICK HERE for a related teaching on "sharing your light."
The Visibility of God
We serve an unlimited God, an infinite God, which means that no matter where we are in this journey with Him, there is so much more of Him left to discover. His greatness knows no boundary. If our coming to God included nothing beyond the salvation of our souls, that would be enough. Salvation is wonderful, and nothing beats everlasting life! However, much more exists in God than what the Church as a whole is walking in right now. In Romans 5:10, Paul writes: For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. In essence, Paul is saying, “With the presence of God in you, you can live a life that is so much greater than the life you are currently living.” Salvation is radical in and of itself, but it is just the beginning of the Christian life. As we pick up the cross and follow Him, seek after His righteousness and experience the various principles of Jesus’ life, our own lives become so much better — and God becomes more and more visible within us. If we think that salvation is “it,” we still get to Heaven, but the impact and quality of our lives on earth are so different than what they could have been. We are called to be salt and light on this earth — to be recognizably different. People should be able to look at us and see the signature of God written across our foreheads.
Seek His Righteousness
How can we begin to access God’s light the way Moses accessed His light (Exodus 34:29)? It takes seeking His righteousness — not just His Kingdom (His power) but His righteousness as well (Matthew 6:33). It is not flippant Christianity; it is purposeful, presence-driven Christianity. It is His life in us changing us to such a degree that we emanate who He is because He holds every cell in our bodies together. He is the glue. As we seek His righteousness, we learn how to respond to people. We learn how to walk in authority and power. We learn when to say things and when not to say things. We learn when to encourage. We learn when God is rescuing someone and when God is not rescuing someone because He is trying to get that person’s attention. We learn the difference between God creating a crisis and man creating a crisis. We learn all those things and many more; they are called the ways of God. There is so much more to this Christian life than what we currently experience — so much more. That will always be the case. So I urge you to seek more of the Lord’s presence. Let His righteousness define you and seep into your bones. He wants to do something on this earth, and you are one of the people He has chosen for the task. As He fills you more and more, you can expect the unbelievers around you to recognize His presence within you and say, “This is what I have been searching for.”
If you would like to know more about living a presence-driven life, I encourage you to sign up for our monthly webinar. In this webinar, I address your questions on a variety of topics that deal with the supernatural, spiritual gifts and your Christian walk. To sign up for a free 1-month subscription and get access to the last three webinar archives CLICK HERE.
http://www.facebook.com/JPJFanPage
http://twitter.com/JohnPaulJackson
http://www.youtube.com/johnpauljacksontv
© 2011 Streams Ministries International
http://www.streamsministries.com
When we are filled with God’s presence, people who don’t know Him go out of their way to find out what is different about us. They see hope for change in us, and they want to know how this is possible and how it works. “What is this that you have, and can I have it, too?” The presence of God is a huge attractant. People are not attracted to us because of who we are; their responses are not necessarily based on the good decisions we have made or the great men and women of God who have taught us. They simply pick up on God’s presence within us.
Radiating His Light God’s presence is like a magnet. My greatest joy doesn’t come when I stand behind a pulpit and speak at a church or conference. My greatest joy comes when I walk through a busy mall or airport, and someone who does not know me comes up to me and says, “Would you pray for me?” Or, “Can I talk to you about something? I know I need to talk to you.” That tells me God is with me to an extent that people who do not know Him can recognize Him in me. I ask the Lord to help me radiate His light so that people will see His light in me and His presence in me will attract them to Him. In everything I do and say, I try to propel people into a place where the world sees them and experiences this sense of, There is something about this person that I need. Those seekers then discover that they are seeing God manifested in His family.
CLICK HERE for a related teaching on "sharing your light."
The Visibility of God
We serve an unlimited God, an infinite God, which means that no matter where we are in this journey with Him, there is so much more of Him left to discover. His greatness knows no boundary. If our coming to God included nothing beyond the salvation of our souls, that would be enough. Salvation is wonderful, and nothing beats everlasting life! However, much more exists in God than what the Church as a whole is walking in right now. In Romans 5:10, Paul writes: For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. In essence, Paul is saying, “With the presence of God in you, you can live a life that is so much greater than the life you are currently living.” Salvation is radical in and of itself, but it is just the beginning of the Christian life. As we pick up the cross and follow Him, seek after His righteousness and experience the various principles of Jesus’ life, our own lives become so much better — and God becomes more and more visible within us. If we think that salvation is “it,” we still get to Heaven, but the impact and quality of our lives on earth are so different than what they could have been. We are called to be salt and light on this earth — to be recognizably different. People should be able to look at us and see the signature of God written across our foreheads.
Seek His Righteousness
How can we begin to access God’s light the way Moses accessed His light (Exodus 34:29)? It takes seeking His righteousness — not just His Kingdom (His power) but His righteousness as well (Matthew 6:33). It is not flippant Christianity; it is purposeful, presence-driven Christianity. It is His life in us changing us to such a degree that we emanate who He is because He holds every cell in our bodies together. He is the glue. As we seek His righteousness, we learn how to respond to people. We learn how to walk in authority and power. We learn when to say things and when not to say things. We learn when to encourage. We learn when God is rescuing someone and when God is not rescuing someone because He is trying to get that person’s attention. We learn the difference between God creating a crisis and man creating a crisis. We learn all those things and many more; they are called the ways of God. There is so much more to this Christian life than what we currently experience — so much more. That will always be the case. So I urge you to seek more of the Lord’s presence. Let His righteousness define you and seep into your bones. He wants to do something on this earth, and you are one of the people He has chosen for the task. As He fills you more and more, you can expect the unbelievers around you to recognize His presence within you and say, “This is what I have been searching for.”
If you would like to know more about living a presence-driven life, I encourage you to sign up for our monthly webinar. In this webinar, I address your questions on a variety of topics that deal with the supernatural, spiritual gifts and your Christian walk. To sign up for a free 1-month subscription and get access to the last three webinar archives CLICK HERE.
http://www.facebook.com/JPJFanPage
http://twitter.com/JohnPaulJackson
http://www.youtube.com/johnpauljacksontv
© 2011 Streams Ministries International
http://www.streamsministries.com
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