Creflo A. Dollar - In the Presence of God: Find Answers to the Challenges of Life

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NAS are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament. Copyright 1965, 1987 by Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Used by permission.

Warner Books Edition

Copyright 2000, 2004 by Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

Creflo Dollar Ministries

2500 Burdette Road

College Park, GA 30349

All rights reserved.

Warner Faith

Revised in 2006

Hachette Book Group

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First eBook Edition: March 2006

ISBN: 978-0-446-55686-6

Books by Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

In the Presence of God

Live Without Fear

Not Guilty

Love, Live, and Enjoy Life

Breaking Out of Trouble

Walking in the Confidence of God in Troubled Times

What are the benefits?

This is one of the first questions you are likely to hear after offering someone a job. The fact is, we are living in a benefit-oriented society with everyone wanting to know, Whats in it for me?

Most people dont seem to realize they are missing a greater source of benefits than they can possibly imagine: the benefits that come from living and abiding in the presence of Almighty God.

Everything you could ever want or need can be found in the presence of the Lord.

Do you need healing? Youll find it in His presence.

Do you need provision? Youll find it in His presence.

Every good thing anyone could possibly desire is waiting in the presence of a loving, holy God. Its so simple. Yet so many believers miss this powerful truth.

Its a truly amazing concept when you stop and think about it. The God of the universe, that awesome Being who spoke the worlds into existence, has given you and me the opportunity to walk into His throne room and fellowship with Him.

Even more amazing is that many Christians fail to exercise this wonderful privilege! Think about it. Every day, countless believers make the decision to say no to Gods offer of fellowship, choosing instead to spend their time filling their minds with television, gossip, or mindless recreation.

Many have searched high and low for answers to their problems, never thinking to seek them at the feet of God. They have consulted pastors, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, gurus, and self-help books. They have been to seminars, workshops, retreats, and advances. All this time the answer has been waiting for themwaiting in the presence of the Lord.

Gods Word offers us practical keys to abiding in the presence of the Lord. Thats what this book is about: gaining an understanding of how we can move into and remain in the presence of God.

When we learn to do that, then and only then will the answers and solutions you are looking for be found. It is then that you will begin to enjoy the benefits of Gods presence.

I once heard a preacher make a statement that seemed to resonate in my spirit. She said very bluntly, To not live in daily contact with God is not only sinful; its stupid.

There is a mountain of truth in that statement. There is so much to be gained from learning to walk in Gods presence, and there is so much we miss when we neglect it. The good news is, the Bible has much to say about how to live in the presence of God. But before we dive into the Scriptures, lets begin by defining the term presence of God.

First of all, to be present obviously means to be in or at a certain location. During school days, when you heard the teacher call your name during the roll call, you answered by saying, Present.

What does it mean to be in the presence of God? Does it mean we can see Him with our natural eyes or hear Him speak to us in an audible voice? Probably not. We can, however, experience the presence of God on several different levels.

One of the most basic and most powerful ways to experience the presence of God is through His Word. You may be thinking, How can I experience God by reading a book? Let me show you. Look at John 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

God and His Word are inseparable. When you are in the presence of the Word, you are in the presence of God. There is something powerful that happens when you open that Book and spend quality time in it. Something happens in your heart. Reading the Word feeds your spirit, and that Word continues to work in you and change you even after you have closed the Book and walked away.

Of course, spending time in the Word isnt the only way to experience Gods wonderful presence. Another obvious way is by spending time in prayer, particularly when you pray Gods Word.

There is a big difference between praying Gods Word and praying some dry, lifeless, traditional prayer. So much doubt, unbelief, and religiosity is prayed by Christians who simply dont know any better. They will pray like this:

Our dear, kind, heavenly Father, we are Your humble, no-good, undeserving servants. We beseech Thee to stop by just for a little while. We know were nothing but miserable wormsjust wicked sinners saved by gracebut if You could give us a little crumb off Your table, wed be satisfied, Lord.

This kind of prayer is not acceptable to God. It may sound humble to the religious mind, but it is 100 percent contrary to the Word of God. The Bible says if you are born again, you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:17.)

The false humility that characterizes so many religious prayers could not be more unbiblical. If you want to pray prayers that will usher you into the presence of God, dont pray religion; pray Gods Word.

Of course, there are other ways to experience Gods presence. Helping you understand how to benefit from them is what this book is all about. For you to understand what its like to truly experience Gods presence, you have to go back to the beginning.

Going Back to the Beginning

A SK YOURSELF THIS question: How much of Gods presence does He want us to experience?

There is only one way to accurately answer that question. We must go to the one place in the Bible where things on earth were exactly as God intended them to be: the Garden of Eden.

Lets go back now to the beginning and discover Gods intent for man and his fellowship with his Maker.

Mans God-Given Dominion

In Genesis 1:26, we find these words:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

I think it is significant that the first thing God gave man was dominion, or authority. In other words, God wanted to create a partner in ruling the earth. In making man, God duplicated Himself in the sense that Adam became god of the earth, just as He (God) is God of the universe.

Now I realize this is a controversial statement for some people, but I have never quite figured out why. The Scripture is clear on this subject. Still, some people get quite offended when you use the term god when referring to man.