How to Feel the Presence of God?- 40 Truths!

Shyju Mathew

"Experience the Word of God, in the power of the Spirit."

April 15, 2012

Tiny and I were married on April 7th 2010, it’s 2 years already! I am thankful to God everyday for letting our paths meet. And certainly marriage has been an awesome learning curve.

It didn’t take us long to understand that an external situation could effect the perfect peace of the relationship if we only let it affect us. There were many times, Tiny would look at me ask, “What’s going on?” And she did not have to be rocket scientist to understand when something was bothering me, it certainly reflected in my communication with my wife.

This is no different in our relationship with God. There are some questions that are repeatedly asked to me, and one of them is from somebody that is struggling to feel the presence of God.

They’ve let something come in the way of the relationship with God and now they are struggling to get back and feel the presence of God again. Add to that, many a time your own mind plays the devil by sowing more doubt.

Truth is that as long as you are dependent on ‘feeling’ God, the chances are you will be disappointed repeatedly. Why? Because feelings can be deceptive. You feeling nice does not mean you are in the right, you feeling nothing does not mean you are in the wrong.

When your heart is not in the right place(with sin or anxiety), it is then more difficult to feel God, but that does not imply that God left you. It only means your heart is synchronized with Him and you need to silent yourself, go back to Him and He’s waiting for you with all His heart! Therefore it is required to rise up beyond our feelings and trust God every day.

I once wrote here on, “The Duplicity of Depending on Feelings“. I certainly believe we should not depend on feelings. However, with this post I want to take you through some truths that will help you in understanding how we can be more sensitive to God.

Please take some time and let these simple truths soak into your heart. I’ve tried to keep it precise and direct:

  1. The distance you feel from God is the result of sin.
  2. Fear, guilt and shame follow sin.
  3. Satan is the accuser that will challenge your walk with God with fear, guilt and shame.
  4. When you truly repent of your sins – Jesus promised to forgive them.
  5. As long as you live on this earth you will have temptations.
  6. To be tempted is not sin, to give into it is sin.
  7. The secret of the standing man is that he got back from where he fell last.
  8. Never quit running to God – as God has never quit on you.
  9. The key to walking with God is to continually pursue God everyday.
  10. You need God’s grace and mercy everyday. Therefore go to Him everyday.
  11. How long should you ask forgiveness? Till sin does not rule you anymore.
  12. The devil will use guilt and shame to stop you from asking God’s forgiveness.
  13. The devil will use guilt and shame to suggest that you continue in sin as God is mad at you anyway.
  14. The devil will then sow hopelessness in you to do more than what you have already done as you have sinned and lost it anyway.
  15. The key is to keep going to God no matter how miserable you feel.
  16. The Bible also commands you to flee sin. That’s not an option.
  17. You must also call upon the name of the Lord “with those with a pure heart.” Right fellowship cannot be compromised.
  18. Give no excuse for your sin. Call sin a sin. Not weakness or any other names.
  19. Remember again, the secret of the standing man is that he got back from where he fell last. This has to be everyday process to spiritual maturity.
  20. Hold yourself accountable with a leader. Not someone who can cause you to be tempted again. Find a matured and God fearing leader to hold you accountable.
  21. Stop living sin conscious and live God conscious.
  22. Yes, flee sin but more importantly pursue righteousness in the Holy Spirit.
  23. Renew your mind with the Word of God.
  24. Read the Word of God till it becomes an integral part of you.
  25. Yes, God can do it overnight, but you must first stop quitting overnight.
  26. This is a process and the Holy Spirit is your helper. He knows your trouble more than anybody else and can help you more than anybody else, go to Him. Depend on Him!
  27. Soak yourself in the presence of God. See this image on why we don’t hear the Shepherd’s voice.
  28. Take time to forget everything around you and worship Him with whatever songs you know.
  29. Just love Him, talk to Him like you would talk to your best friend.
  30. Don’t worry about what you feel. He promised to be there till the end of the days and thats all what is important. Give importance to His word over how you feel! (Don’t listen to the lie of the enemy)
  31. Meditate on a Word from the Bible today. Ponder over it. Love it. Read it. Write it. Celebrate it. Enjoy it. Share it. Make it a habit.
  32. Again, please don’t worry about what you feel and how feel God. Enjoy His word.
  33. Don’t forget to pray. Ask the Lord to keep you from evil and give you grace to overcome temptations. Talk to the Lord about the Word you read.
  34. It is not about doing it once, it’s about your consistent walk with God. Do it till walking with God becomes a natural part of you.
  35. Whether you feel Him or not, you are His child, and that settles it, take time to thank Jesus today.
  36. Stop praying and reading your Bible with the attitude of getting something in return. But do it because you love doing it, irrespective of whether God blesses you or not!
  37. Enjoy the knowledge that God loves you more than how your natural feelings tell you. Begin to thank God for His love and mercy.
  38. Remember, there is nothing you can do to gain His love – He already loved you 2000 years ago on the cross, now simply soak in it.
  39. There is nothing you can do to deserve His grace – it’s truly undeserving, simply learn to surrender into His arms.
  40. Now when you reach here, do it all over till you don’t need to have a blog post to tell you that irrespective of your repeated failures you are loved by God, and that He is waiting for you with His arms wide open. Don’t let your emotions rule you, let the fact that God is never-changing rule your heart.

Thats all now, don’t wait for more. Tell the devil to get lost and thank God for His grace, mercy, love and presence irrespective of how you feel!

Enjoy Jesus!