The Power Of The Lord Was Present...

Luke 5:17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

I have something burning in my spirit for us today. This message today is part 3 of our series on cultivating a culture and an atmosphere for the miraculous.

I can't speak for you, but I can tell you for myself, this word is really moving in my spirit. It is waking a great hunger and desire for the presence of God. I can't wait to get to church before I get in his presence.

Today we are going to talk about the presence of God.

We are in the process of creating a culture for the miraculous. This is so critical because there won't be any kind of miraculous, or supernatural manifestations, without an atmosphere where the presence of God's Holy Spirit is welcome.

The first thing you should understand is, the wonderful presence of God that we experience in our lives is brought to us by the Holy Spirit.

The first time the word presence is mentioned in the Bible is in the book of Genesis 3:8 and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Then we find God telling Moses that his presence would go with him...

Exodus 33:14 and he said, my presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

Then David speaks of the presence of God in Psalm 16:11, He says... Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for ever more.

Then two more places I want us to look at...

*Psalm 68:8 the earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

*Nahum 1:5 the mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

I focused on these scriptures to establish in our minds, what the presence of God produces.

Too often we think of the presence of God, as only a sense of love, and peace, and acceptance. That is only one facet of the presence of God.

In reality it is the presence of God that destroys the power of hell. Without the presence of God, there is no power of God.

But on the other hand, wherever the Lord is present, his power is available.

? It's very sad that we have such a great disconnect between the presence and the power of God.

? I believe that one of the most important things that God is doing in these last days is reconnecting his presence with his power.

Now when I say that, I'm not saying that there was ever a disconnection from Gods side, but on our side, there has been that disconnect, and it has separated the presence of God from the power of God. You see it doesn't matter what the truth is, you will live by your perceptions. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Every one of us live by our perceptions. That's why it is so important who you listen to. Whose voice do you allow to shape your thoughts, and your beliefs?

? The voice you listen to is going to affect what you believe, and what you believe is going to determine what you have in life.

I'm going to say something and I want you to listen very closely. The devil doesn't care how much of the presence of God you experience, as long as there is a mental and emotional, and spiritual disconnect between the presence of God, and the power of God.

? Why? Because the devil knows that it is the power of God that heals, that delivers, and that produces miracles. And the devil also knows that anywhere this presence of the Lord is, the power of the Lord is accessible.

In other words, the power is in the presence.

Let me say it this way... his presence is the doorway to his power.

? But because of our disconnect of his presence from his power, we often stand in the doorway to his power, and never go in, and never access or experience his power, because for some reason, we are expecting something different than his presence.

Let me say it like this... The power of God is the presence of God focused.