He Is Here

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” Matt.1:23 [emphasis added].

“…And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Matt.18:20. We do not have to beg or cajole God to be with us or come along with us. He is here with us already. When Jesus was going [John 14], He said I am going but I will come again to you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come in and with My Spirit. So the Holy Spirit was released to us. In fact, He is known as the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit is not just a presence; the Holy Spirit is a person – huge difference. You can create a smoke presence, you can pump smoke into a room and it becomes a smoky room. But the smoke is not the person. The Holy Spirit is a person; of course He carries a Presence but He is a person. God is near means that God is with you. And when God is with you, certain unexplainable things happen. Please read Psalm 114, it records what happened when God was with a group of people. “The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs!” Ps.114:3-4. What caused the Red sea to part? Was it a group of people? Of course not, it was the Presence of God. “…that the mountains might flow down at thy presence” Isaiah 64:1. What caused the mountains to melt? It is the Presence of God. When Jesus was on the donkey going into Jerusalem and people were putting down their clothes and palm fronds, were they putting it down for the donkey? Of course not! They were putting it down for Jesus! And because this same Jesus is near to you, strange things will begin to happen that you cannot explain. But never forget, it has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with Jesus and nothing to do with you. Doors will begin to open of their own accord. You will begin to have wisdom that surpasses your level of understanding. You will begin to operate in realms that people will wonder how you got there. Just tell them Jesus is near.

And if Jesus is near, then purity is key. If the Holy Spirit is with you, the Holy Spirit is holy; then purity is key. That is why He is called the Holy Spirit because there are different kinds of spirits. “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” James 4:8. You may think you are the one to make the first move with God. No, God has already made the first move but He is saying to you, it is now your move; draw close to God. And when you draw close to God, He will draw close you.

Prayer [hymn]: Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! Amen!