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-- © GodSpeak International 2005 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES
Author: Victoria Werneth <worldoutreach@comcast.net>
Editor: Teresa Seputis

Prophetic Evangelism

(Second Edition)

Lesson 2
God's Presence and His Glory

By Victoria Werneth

We started talking about intimacy with God and the prophetic in our last lesson. We looked at this by using the chorus of one of my favorite hymns:

And He walks with me and He talks with me,
And tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share, as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

In our last lesson, we looked at the first two phrases of this song. We saw that God desires to fellowship and communicate with us on a daily basis. We also saw that He has adopted us into His family and wants us to know what it means, that we belong to Him.

Now let's go on and look at the next two phrases of this song.

"AND THE JOY WE SHARE, AS WE TARRY THERE"

I want to say three things about this. The first is that God manifests His presence to us and in us. "Oh what joy we share as we tarry there." Where is it that we tarry? In Him! We tarry in His path of life. "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalms 16:11). This is talking about His indwelling presence!

Notice I said "in-dwelling." Paul said, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (The phrase Christ in you is referring to His divine presence.

Before we can enjoy the joy of His presence, we must awaken to where His presence is. And that is "in us!!!"

At numerous times God's presence indwelt His disciples to such a measure that they became drunk. Look at Acts 2:12-13. "They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'Whatever could this mean?' Others mocking said, 'They are full of new wine.'" Why did they say that? Because the disciples were acting drunk from the very presence of God.

God reveals to us that His desire is that we be filled just like drinking wine in excess!!! I like that!! And He goes on to say, in Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." (In excess) glory!!

Have you ever wondered why God didn't say lemonade? I believe His point lies within the description of wine. Why? excess of wine will make you happy, joyful, a little tipsy, you would tend to do things you normally would not do if you were sober. A boldness rises up within you. Cares that seem to be at times overwhelming disappear. It brings great joy when you experience His presence.

He also rejoices over us and gets happy!! He also sings over us... Can you hear Him singing? The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17). Do you get a picture of God singing over you with great joy? What a beautiful sight to know He is so excited over us!!!

Does that not make us excited and filled with joy over Him. Yes it does!!! As He fills us with His joy, He is seen on our countenance. "You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence" (Acts 2:28).

Second, the Lord has given us the ability to manifest joy in the midst of opposition. As we keep our minds and hearts stayed on Him, He shall keep us in perfect peace as per Isaiah 26:3. We can still experience His joy even in the midst of persecution. Look at Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:50-52: "But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." The disciples who lived there were in the midst of persecution; they could not leave with Paul and Barnabas, and yet this verse says that they were filled with God's joy and with His Spirit.

Now look at Acts 16:25a: "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God..." They were in jail and had been abused by the authorities, yet they sang praises to God. As a result, (verse 26) everyone's bands were loosed. That is some supernatural praise in such adversity. They were bound, yet their joyful praise released them. That set them free, and everyone else as well. Praise God!!

Third, we are to tarry continually in Him. The phrase "to tarry there" means "to abide in God." This is consistent with what Jesus said in John 15:4, "Abide in Me, and I in you." Jesus in John 17:24, Jesus prayed; "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

God sent His Son Jesus, to pay the price of redemption for mankind. And whosoever believes on Jesus would receive His spirit inside their mortal bodies and then God would reveal the Spirit of His Son through them. Paul is an example in Galatians 1:16: "to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood." Like Paul, we must walk by faith and believe His Word, that we abide in the secret place of the Most High. Psalm 91 says "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty...He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge" (Psalms 91:1, 4). "Under His wings, His feathers," what a secure place that is!! Glory!!!

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:5-6). Do you think that God the Father is a little southern ("you all")... Just kidding!!!

Let us respond to the Lord in prayer before we move on to look at the final phrase of this chorus:

Father, thank You for Your presence abiding in my mortal body. I thank you for making my body Your habitation. I yield all my members unto you, Be Lord of my body and my mind. Reveal your Son in me... I pray that I may preach Him throughout the world. Father, fill me again with the wine of Your presence, Your joy, to overflowing. Lord will you fill me again just like you filled Your disciples then - get me drunk in You I pray. And as your joy fills me up, thank You that the joy of the Lord is my strength, to overcome all opposition. Glory to Your name Jesus... May I always walk in a conscience of abiding under the Your shadow, Your Wings, Your feathers. You are my refuge, My fortress, My God in whom I trust. I love you Father God. Amen.

"NONE OTHER HAS EVER KNOWN"

God said in Isaiah 42:8, "I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images." I asked the Lord, "Lord in John 17, You said you gave us Your glory, but here you are saying You will not give Your glory to another, what does that mean?" He told me so clearly, "You are not another!" We don't belong to someone else, we are His, so He is willing to share His glory with us!!

Our Father has imparted His glory to us.. In John 17:22-23 He said, "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."

God calls us a "Chosen Generation!!" Look at 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." "We have been given His spirit His glory, that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God" (I Corinthians 2:12). "The others are the fools who hath said in their hearts there is no God" (Psalms 14:1) It is a shame, that if remaining as a fool, they will never experience God's glory. "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John17:3).

Let us pray:

Thank You, Lord, that I am not another, but You have given Your glory to me. May I never take You for granted. I stand in awe of Your marvelous works. Thank You that We are one, You are living in me, and I'm abiding in You. It is Your desire that I be made perfect in oneness with my brethren, that the world may see Your Son in me, to know You have sent me just as You have sent Your Son. Thank You that You have loved me as much as You have loved Your Son. Help me to show forth Your praises; to walk in Your marvelous light.

Yes, Father, also to understand all things that You have already freely given. May I walk in a consciousness of being a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that I will continually show forth Your praises!!! May Your eternal life continually spring up a well within my soul and spirit, as I behold Your Glory, and seek to Know You, and to know Jesus Christ. Bless Your wonderful Name. Amen.

"As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness" (Psalms 17:15).


-- © GodSpeak International 2005 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --

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