Living Outside His Presence!

“Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but fails to do it, is guilty of sin.” James 4:17

Many Christians today still blame their challenges on witches, wizards, generational curses, and mythical creatures. They don’t realize that the real issue is that they are living outside of God’s presence. When you live outside of God’s presence, you are more susceptible to the enemy’s attacks. You are also more likely to make poor choices, leading to further problems. Worse still, they affect their partners, children, and immediate family with their wrong choices. Therefore, you should check to see if there is any duty that God has given you that you haven’t done.

Some people might not believe they were outside of God’s presence but let’s look into the story of Jonah in the Bible. The story of Jonah is a perfect example of how it seems to be living outside of God’s presence. In the story, Jonah was sent by God to warn the people of Nineveh about their impending doom. But instead of doing as he was commanded, Jonah ran away and tried to hide from God. As a result, Jonah ended up getting swallowed by a giant fish! While the story of Jonah is a bit extreme, it does show us how easy it is to live outside of God’s presence.

Jonah 1:6 says, “The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Make a prayer to your God. Maybe this God will consider us, and we won’t perish.”

Jonah’s decision to run away from God’s presence nearly cost the lives of those that boarded the ship with him. Not until he realized that he was the cause of the storm did he tell them what to do to calm the tempest. This is just a glimpse of things that can happen when we start living outside His presence. The question is, are we running away from God or living in disobedience to him?

Disobedience has an effective cost. The further we run from God, the more our lives will be affected. We will experience His discipline and consequences for our actions. But even though these things may happen, God still loves us and wants us to return to Him. So, if you feel you are running away from God, ask Him to help you get back on track. He is always there for us, no matter how far we run, because in God’s presence, you will experience true freedom and fullness of joy in your life. Amen. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but the LORD’s purpose prevails.” Amen.

Prayers:
1. Father in heaven, we glorify your holy name for your wisdom in being the shepherd of our souls.
2. Oh Lord, I receive the grace to always follow your perfect will for my life and family in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.