Standing firm in the presence of the Lord
“WE ARE troubled on every side yet not distressed; we are perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed.”
This bold testimony of the Apostle Paul in his second epistle to the Corinthians was a reflection of his unmovable will to carry on his mandate to preach the Gospel of Jesus throughout the entire world.
The resolve to do God’s will does not come about by just a made-up mind. If so, it will fade with trials, persecution, and time. When we live and walk in the presence of the Lord and His will becomes our will, Paul’s testimony becomes a declaration of unchanging fact in our lives, ratified by the Holy Spirit. The result of our life’s mission and ministry will be a continuation of the work of Jesus in greater measure. Souls will be saved, sick bodies healed, demons cast out, and the poor receive the Gospel.
It is God’s will for us to be a reflection of His image. A mirror only reflects a clear and precise image of a person when one faces it. We must stand face to face with Jesus in order to be a true reflection of Him. The moment we depart from His presence, we no longer reflect Him. Often, we are a reflection of ourselves and present it to be God.
We must constantly wait upon the Lord isolated in prayer until the Holy Spirit comes and quickens our spirits and brings us directly in the presence of the Lord, where Jesus reveals Himself to us and strengthens us. Such experiences result in us standing firm in His will.
OUR AUTHORITY IN CHRIST JESUS
Adam was robbed by Satan, and the punishment to his entire race was the bondage of sin and separation from the uninterrupted presence of the Lord. Through His blood, shed on Calvary’s cross, Jesus Christ restored to man that which was taken from Adam. Jesus became the ransom for sin. He gave up Himself, being the only sacrifice that could meet the righteous demand of God, so that man, through Him, has access to God once more and the abundance of His presence. He has literally charted a pathway for man to God through Himself. Jesus Christ, after defeating Satan on Calvary, is seated on the right hand of God far above all principalities and powers, and as the Bible declares, all things are under His feet. We who have accepted Him as Lord and Saviour are, as declared by His Word, seated in heavenly places with Him.
If He is seated far above all principalities and powers and we are seated with Him, our position of authority is very clear. Therefore, we need to tread upon serpents and scorpions because they are set under our feet. We need to engage in battle to lead lost humanity to Christ by preaching the Gospel, by praying without ceasing, by living in His presence and continuing His work.
DAILY DEVOTION
It is of utmost importance that we stay in the presence of the Lord and one such way to ensure this is through daily devotion. It is imperative that we pray and read His word daily and constantly wait upon Him. Devotion must not be a ritual, but should be a renewal of our faith and a strengthening of our spirits in the presence of the Lord. We should use our daily devotion as a tool of alignment to His will so we stay on track with fulfilling His call daily. Living a victorious life depends heavily on daily victory and a daily execution of His will.
Pray without ceasing. Prayer does not end after the time we set aside for daily devotion, we must always pray. Prayer prevents defeat and gives us the strength to stand firm in His will.
Do not be deterred by warfare. The process of surrender attracts warfare. The enemy does everything to stop man from getting to the point of surrender. But we must persevere. A surrendered life must be characterised by the full armour of God and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God should be the feature of our armour.
It is the responsibility of all believers to live in His presence until, like Jesus and the Apostle Paul and the apostles of old, we stand firm because we walk only in His presence.