The Presence of God was taught by Pastor Ogbonnaya Akpoke on the 6th of June 2021 at Shouts of Grace Center, Joke Plaza, Beside Trans Amusement Park, Bodija-UI Road, Ibadan.
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He made mention of the following important points in his teaching on the presence of God
Exodus 33:16
- The lack of the presence of God can cost you your life.
- The evidence that God is with you is when you carry His presence. The true measure that God is with you is the amount of His presence we carry.
- God is omnipresent – He is everywhere and so we must fear Him because He sees and knows everything.
- Don’t think you can sin (fornicate, steal, lie etc) in dark places because sin thrives in secrecy, but you must understand that God is there.
- The Glory of God is the presence of God. There is a difference between God being everywhere and God’s manifested presence.
The Benefits of God’s Presence
1. Death – Genesis 5:24
- Our flesh and desires are taken away. It is important that we die to self.
- We must die to the world, to sin, to bitterness e.t.c.
2. Graces are revealed – Genesis 6:9
- The grace you need to excel is released upon you when you walk with God.
3. Things happen – Psalm 114:1-6
- The challenges in your life respond to the presence that you carry.
- There are things that will happen in your life that only the presence of God can fix.
- Until you present God’s presence to that situation, it won’t give way.
Hindrances To The Presence
1. Sin
- Sin and the glory of God cannot co-habit. It is either you are running from the glory of God, or you are running away from sin.
- If you want to carry God’s presence, you must deal with sin.
- If you are living in habitual sin, God’s presence cannot dwell there, but once you run back to Go, the presence melts that sin.
- Your heart, motives, and disposition to that sin will determine whether or not God’s presence will stay or not.
- With sin, you cannot harness God’s presence.
2. Guilt
- The devil holds you down with past sins, but God forgives and forgets.
- Repent genuinely and come out of the sin. God doesn’t condemn you but he doesn’t condone sin either.
- The only way to cultivate God’s presence is through fellowship with Him. Enjoy his presence