Releasing God's Presence....

One of the things that led to the faith crisis was me making work out of entering the Presence of God... instead of flowing with the Spirit... receiving His grace... a simple message that I read triggered the following...

"No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us" (1 John 4:12)

"The one who loves his brother abides in the Light" (1 John 2:10)

I agree with many points of the writer which can be summed as when we love another, we experience a greater measure of His presence... coz that is the heartbeat of God... love.

But as I read through the message, something just didn't quite connect with my Spirit, an old, familiar legalistic sense was building... "Naomi, you must love those around you more..."

Matthew 22:36-39
"Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the first and great (most important, principal) commandment.
And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as you do yourself"

1 John 4:10-11
"In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God loved us so (very much), we also ought to love one another."

1 John 5:1
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and everyone who loves Him who begot (Father) also loves him who is begotten of Him (children of God)"

If you have to will yourself to love those around... it's already an indication that you have lost sight of how much God loves u and r not receiving enough of His love... to release His presence u have to first be in His presence... n u enter His presence when u enter His realm of love.

Indeed, if we do not love His children, then we cannot say that we love God... if we are not loving His children... we know that something is amiss... it's a spiritual red light... and the only way we can love Him is to receive fresh new revelations of His love for us... for God is love and only He can teach us about love...

if we do not know how much God loves us, how would we know what it means to love Him and to love His children?

As the year is coming to an end... it suddenly dawned on me that this year, which is about Ministry, is about one major lesson...

"Lord, how do I know which work U have called me to and to continue in the work that U have called me to while CONTINUING TO LOVE AND MINISTER TO THOSE that U have placed in my life"

the short but important message revealed that one of the the surest indications that you have stepped out of His presence is when u stop loving those around u... which ultimately means that you are not receiving enough from the Lord and there isn't enough "love fuel" to be poured out and shared of the overflow.

and the solution to be able to love those around u or to do any good work is not to will yourself to do it... not to condemn yourself for not being able to do it... it's to step into His presence and let His love so utterly, entirely and completely fill you...

so no matter how great or important a Ministry... the fundamentals never change... and chief of which is to dwell in His presence by receiving His love.

Beloved, as we behold Him, we are transformed into His image and when He so consumes your life n u are filled with revelations of His love for u, the extent of His work on the cross and His resurrection power... u cannot help but love and do the good works as the Spirit leads...

there's no place I would rather be than to dwell daily in Ur presence, so Lord I pray, fill me and consume me with Your love...