Good morning people who overflow with what God has given to you.

Over recent times when I have been asked how I am doing, I have answered by talking about the twin tracks of life that include one track of seeing the amazing things that God is doing and the other of the hardships and trials and difficulties. The Bible tells us that this time on earth will involve both, and on many occasions, these two twin tracks (like that of train tracks) will run simultaneously.

That said, today I felt Father replace those twin tracks with the twin tracks of RECEIVING and GIVING.

These are the twin tracks that Father wants me to give my attention to and to focus on. I am always receiving from Him and I am always giving to Him and to others. This is a much healthier twin track!

Matthew 10:7-8 NIV As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

These were the words of Jesus to His disciples about how He wants them to live life. These two essential keys for living result in an expression of the kingdom of heaven coming near; on earth as it is in heaven.

But the order is so important!

When people mention these two words, the normal order that rolls off the tongue is giving and receiving. But this is not the Biblical instruction of Jesus!

Our giving to God and to others MUST flow from our receiving from God.

This is not semantics my friends – this is the ONLY way that this can work! Salvation happens when we receive eternal life from God, and this can only happen because we have received revelation of the truth from God. It is from this place of receiving that we are instructed to give to God in worship and give to others in love and in being a witness of Jesus Christ.

Receiving precedes giving, and receiving must result in giving.

Good morning people who are always fully present with the Lord in every moment.

Matthew 28:20b NIV “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I want to wrap up this exhortation about the ever-presentness of God with some challenging questions to us all. But first let me state this again clearly: God is always with us in every moment. This is the truth, and yet we can so easily live unaware of God being with us.

How would we live, behave and speak differently if we had a revelation that God is LITERALLY with us all of the time?

Would we treat people differently?

Would we speak to people and about people differently?

Would we hold our tongue and not lash out in anger or frustration?

Would we work more diligently as if we were working for the Lord?

Would we flee that lust or turn that program off or browse the internet differently?

Would we prioritise and spend time differently?

Would we worry less and be less anxious?

Would we speak to God more?

Would we introduce others to God?

Would we live differently if we knew that God is fully present with us always?

Because He most certainly is.

Good morning people who are privileged to see the manifestation of God.

God wants to reinstate our awareness of the nearness of His presence. Let’s lean in together as we go deeper into the life-giving truth about our omnipresent God.

In the wonderful song Heart of Worship by Matt Redman, there is a powerful line in the bridge that says let us become more aware of Your presence, let us experience the glory of Your goodness.

Now think about those words in contrast with the often-quoted statement after a powerful church meeting that says, “Wow, God really showed up in an amazing way today!”

Did God really show up? Was He not there before we were aware of His presence?

God was always fully present, but He manifested Himself in that moment through something we could tangibly see or feel.

John 2:11 NKJV This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Jesus has always been and will always be full of glory. He can’t not be glorious. And yet when He performed miracles, that ever-present glory was manifest, that is, revealed, to make apparent or visible.

Whether we feel God or not, He is always fully with us. Whether we see God or not, He is always fully with us. Whether we “deserve” God or not, He is always fully with us. He is Emmanuel; God with us.

Psalms 46:11 NIV The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Psalms 46:1 NIV God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Good morning people who run towards God instead of away from God.

Psalms 139:7-10 NIV Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

There is nowhere that God is not present – nowhere. This is exceptionally good news! Well, it would be if we lived believing that it is true.

Humans have a history of trying to hide from God or run from God. It’s not possible, but yet we try nonetheless.

Jonah 1:3 NIV But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Jonah tried to do what was not possible, and that was to hide from the omnipresent God.

Genesis 3:8 NIV Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 

Adam and Eve thought they had successfully hidden from an ever-present and all-knowing God. They did not, and we can’t either.

But there is an equal and complementary truth that we must be aware of today. Here it is:

James 4:8 NIV Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

If God is everywhere present, always, how can He not be near us?

The truth is He is near, but in our hearts, we step back. Due to our own sin or brokenness – like with Adam and Eve and Jonah – we try to hide or run from God. And this is why James says to wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. The reason is to reinstate our awareness of the nearness of our omnipresent God; our Emmanuel.

Do you need to draw near to God?

If you do, He is waiting for you with open arms.

Good morning people who are never distant to the God who is always present.

Psalms 23:4 NIV Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

I want to lean deeply into this profound truth about our God who is always with us.

Our God is omnipresent, that is, He is everywhere present, always, in His fullness and totality. He is never anywhere less than He is somewhere else. He is fully, always, everywhere, now.

This is a theological reality that does not have a starting point for human comprehension. Every other created being can only ever be in one place at one time. Therefore, it is impossible for us to naturally understand this spiritual reality. But it is nonetheless true.

I know this truth, and I’m sure you do too. Well, by ‘know this truth’, I mean I know the concept of this truth. I believe it – absolutely – and yet I often live with the thought, “Where are You God?”

In this Psalm, David accurately declares that even though I walk through the darkest valley, You are with me. He connects this truth to a similar statement in the following verse:

Psalm 139:11-12 NIV If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Our God is always fully present with us even in the darkest of dark places. In the pain, in the suffering, in the trauma and in the heartache, God is with us. He is not distant from you – He is present with you. This is the truth about our omnipresent God.

I pray that you know the nearness of Your God in every moment of your day.