Chris Tiegreen - The One Year Experiencing Gods Presence Devotional: 365 Daily Encounters to Bring You Closer to Him

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The One Year Experiencing Gods Presence Devotional: 365 Daily Encounters to Bring You Closer to Him

Copyright 2011 by Chris Tiegreen. All rights reserved.

Cover photo of pier copyright alle12/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.

Designed by Jacqueline L. Nuez

Edited by Jonathan Schindler

Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney & Associates.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NKJV is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-4143-3955-9

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Introduction

All of us long for Gods Presence, and we sense itoccasionally. But for most of us, our faith tends to slip easily into a religion of theological beliefs about God and His Word, biblically derived precepts, step-by-step principles, and common best practices. There are times when what we call a relationship with God feels like nothing more than a relationship with these beliefs and behaviors. We relate to printed words on a page, to people at church, to devotional practices, to ministry activities, and to our own sense of obligation to do whats rightand then we call that a relationship with God. Whats missing? Real encounters with Him. Certainty that we have heard His voice. A sense of His palpable Presence.

This sense of Gods Presence is what all of us truly crave. Most of us get glimpses of it from time to time, and we know it wont be full and complete this side of eternity. Still, we want more. We need to feel His touch. And we can. There are things we can do to become more aware of Him and to posture ourselves to experience Him moreif we understand where He is and how He shows Himself.

God is everywhere. We couldnt get away from Him if we wanted towhich, of course, we dont. So if Hes always with us, why discuss His Presence as though it fluctuates? Because theres a difference between His Presence and our experience of it. We arent as aware of Him as wed like to be. We dont just want Him to be present; we want to actually encounter Him.

Our awareness is half of what we need in order to experience Gods Presence; the other half is up to Him. He comes to us. Though He is in every place at all times, He isnt manifestly present in every place at all times. Scripture is clear in this distinction: sometimes He is present, and sometimes He isnt (see, for example, Exodus 33:3, 14-15). Scripture must be referring not to His omnipresence but to some aspect of His Presence that is more intense, more evident, more tangible and real in some moments than in others. Sometimes He shows up in remarkable ways.

This devotional is about both sides of the issue: becoming more aware of Gods Presence and experiencing Him when He comes closer. The first is what is often referred to as practicing the Presence of Godthat is, tuning in to the knowledge of His nearness. The second is positioning ourselves to encounter His Presence when He shows uphaving the attitudes and expectations that prepare us to encounter Him. Well explore what it means when He says that His Presence will go with us, or that He is near to the humble and the brokenhearted but far from the proud, or that He draws near to us when we draw near to Him. Without compromising that He is always present, well consider the various levels and degrees of His Presence and how to experience more of Him. If Scripture can speak in these terms, so can we.

Toward those two endsour awareness and His nearnesseach days reading concludes with a prayer to be drawn closer to Gods Presence or for His Presence to become more real to us. These prayers are an invitation to enter into the truth of the devotional and to engage God about that truth. If you feel led to another response or another prayer, pray accordingly. Sometimes prayers like this seem contrived because, though they may be the heartfelt request of the writer, they arent necessarily the heartfelt request of the reader. But some people need ideas or encouragement in taking the next step after they have read or received a spiritual truth. These prayers are offered as that next step. If you actually pray themeven if that feels awkward at firstand own them in some profound way, they can radically change your life. Over time, you will become constantly aware of His nearness, hear Him more clearly, and experience His touch more easily.

Some might consider this idea of experiencing Gods Presence to be somewhat mystical, and it is. Thats because the Christian faith is by nature somewhat mystical. Jesus spoke to His disciples about His oneness with them and about the Holy Spirit coming to speak to them (see John 14:16-20; 17:22-23); Paul wrote about encountering Jesus on a road to Damascus and of receiving inexpressible revelations in the third heaven (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-4); and Scripture in general is filled with many who encountered God and heard His voice. Clearly, the Bible describes a mystical relationship between Jesus and those who believe in Him. These readings are daily steps toward experiencing that relationship in deeper, more powerful ways.

January

Apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

The Presence is everything in the Christian life. Maybe that seems like an overstatement. Surely obedience is important, along with bearing fruit, being loving and compassionate, praying, growing in faith, overcoming obstacles, dealing with relationship issues, and so much more. Thats why so many books are published and so many sermons preached about these things. Christian living is a vast array of disciplines, attitudes, and activities, and we have to know how to approach them. Right?

But think about it. What happens to your attitude when you have a palpable sense of Gods Presence around you? How fruitful does your prayer life become? How strong does your faith grow? What obstacle seems large when youre aware that God is in the room? How hard is it to obey when He is present to empower you? How hard do you have to try to bear fruit if He is spilling out from within you? What relationship issues remain unyielding when His power overwhelms? The truth is that His Presence working within us is the key to everything, and without Him we can do nothing.

Thats why cultivating both an awareness and an ongoing experience of His Presence is vital. When God shows up, miracles happen. Life comes out of death, beauty comes out of ashes, dancing takes the place of mourning, futility gives way to fruitfulness, confusion is replaced by order, and obstacles bow to His will. Even the hard side of His Presencethe convicting and correcting truth we dont want to heareventually gives life. When God is at work in and around us, everything changes.