When a new year rolls around, many people decide they are going to make changes in their lives; and there is nothing wrong with that. But the most important changes to make are those that will glorify God in your body and in your spirit. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6:20).

How do you glorify God in your body and spirit?—by letting people see Jesus in everything you say and do. Let your moderation be known unto all men (Philippians 4:5). And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [those who are unsaved] do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible (I Corinthians 9:25).

God’s presence is what is most needed in your life. It is the only thing that gives true life, contentment and rest. After the Israelites had left Egypt, they faced so many obstacles; but the Lord said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest (Exodus 33:14). Moses knew the importance of God’s presence; and he replied, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence (Exodus 33:15).

Deciding to eat better and exercise more profits little as far as your soul is concerned, but God’s presence is profitable for all things. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come (I Timothy 4:8). The presence of God’s Spirit is what gives your soul true liberty. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (II Corinthians 3:17). The presence of God brings you fullness of joy. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

When you truly cherish God’s presence, you will treasure His anointing; and it can break all yokes. And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing (Isaiah 10:27). Dwelling in God’s presence is as close to Heaven as you will get while you are on Earth.

Follow the Lord’s Lead

So many Christians today do not seek to live in the presence of God, and they try to live the Christian life in their own strength; but it won’t work. When they sense a lack in their life, they go forth in their own efforts to do the work the Spirit of God is supposed to do; but those self-efforts will never bring life, peace or liberty to their souls. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6).

We are living in the Grace Dispensation, and Jesus is to be the Lord of your life; so when you cherish God’s presence, you will trust the Lord and wait on Him to show you which way to go. Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day (Psalm 25:4,5).

Wherever He leads you, you must follow; but you can’t follow in the power of your own human strength. The Bible says, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 4:6).

The Lord supplied the Israelites with the cloud of His presence in the wilderness; and as long as they followed that cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, He led them the way He wanted them to go. And the LORD went before them [the Israelites] by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people (Exodus 13:21,22).

When the cloud stopped moving, the Israelites stopped moving; and they didn’t move again until the cloud of God’s presence did. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up (Exodus 40:36,37).

Walk in the Spirit

Today, we don’t have a visible cloud to follow; but we do have the power of the Holy Ghost to lead us and direct us. However, if you depend on yourself to do the will of God rather than on the Spirit, you will have a miserable, frustrating life. The remedy is to cherish God’s presence, walk in the Spirit and yield to His power within. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would (Galatians 5:16,17).

Your flesh is interested only in self and wants to fulfil its own desires through its own abilities and lusts, but you will always come up empty. The only way to have real life is to stop being a debtor to the flesh and live by the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Paul said, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:12-14).

Paul told the Galatians, And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:24,25). You must get self out of the way and be led by the Holy Ghost.

Be Filled with the Spirit

Jesus knew how important it would be for people to have the Holy Ghost, and He told the disciples they were not to start the Church or do any of His work until they had been baptized. Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). Those who obeyed the Lord’s command received that wonderful baptism. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

The Early Church disciples lived in God’s presence and were led by the Holy Ghost for over 30 years. The Bible described those disciples as these that have turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). The Church age was filled with earthquakes of divine power going forth because the glorious presence of God dwelt in the hearts of every believer who had gone on to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Children of God can have that same power in this final hour. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:17). But you have to accept that outpouring and cherish it if you want to be led by the Spirit every day. You can choose to do things and walk paths that are not necessarily sinful, but that is not what the Holy Spirit would lead you to do; so He will not be able to do all for you that He wants to.

Through the Spirit, you can have divine strength, wisdom and understanding. The Bible says, Truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD (Micah 3:8). When Jesus was on Earth, He received that Holy Ghost power; and the Bible tells what that power did for Him, The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him [Jesus], the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears (Isaiah 11:2,3).

Live in God’s Will

When you cherish God’s presence and yield to it, you will have the reality of Calvary and be able to keep the sufferings of Jesus ever before you. Paul said, That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death (Philippians 3:10).

To know Jesus in His sufferings, you must be willing to suffer for His name’s sake like Paul did. He said, If we suffer [because of doing God’s will], we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us (II Timothy 2:12). If God denies you, you will end up in hell for eternity.

Jesus prayed, Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matthew 26:39). Only when you can truly pray that way with all your heart will you be able to live and act just like Jesus all the time.

Jesus taught the disciples to pray, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). “Thy will” means God’s perfect will, and nothing less will do. God’s perfect will won’t be done in all the Earth until the Perfect Age, but you can do God’s will in your life if you really want to when you live in His presence every day. That will take you in so close to the Lord that even though He is not here in a bodily form, you can see Him all the time through the Spirit. Then His hands will be untied to always hear your cries. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry (Psalm 34:15).

Hide Away with the Lord

You must seek for and find the secret place of God’s presence. Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear [love and honor] thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues (Psalm 31:19,20).

The world does not understand the secret place of God’s presence because it is a place for those who fear and honor Him and who want His will and guidance above their own. It is a place where you can be so separated unto God and His Spirit that the world and all that is in it will fade from view.

Others will not know all the time you spend hidden away in the Lord’s presence, but they will see the results. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:6). When you see people who have fruitful lives, it is because they have cherished being with the Lord.

God desires each of us to come into the place of sweet communion with Him so He can teach us, feed us and strengthen us. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). Those who reject the truth will never know the benefits of being in God’s presence. Even the Spirit of truth [the Holy Spirit]; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17).

Yield Everything to God

If you are diligently seeking the Lord and His will, you must spend much time in His presence. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). To diligently seek the Lord means you are seeking Him with all your heart, and the things you do for God are the fruits of your love for Him. God sees and rewards every selfless act of love.

In God’s presence is where you will receive His truth, His reasoning, His greatness, His power and His love. Jesus already paid the price for them to be yours, so all you have to do is reach for them. Then you must use them in such a way that the Lord will get glory out of everything you say and do. The Bible says, And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men (Colossians 3:23). Giving your all to God should not be hard; it should be an act of love.

Are you cherishing God’s presence today? Are you alive in His Spirit, His power, His grace, His goodness and His faith? Are you conscious of all His greatness for you and of all the greatness He seeks to pour out upon the Earth? He will not pour it out upon the ground and have it run off like water; He wants to pour it out upon souls who are thirsty for more of Him.

Move into God’s Presence

If you have failed the Lord in the past, don’t condemn yourself; just reach out for His deliverance today. God’s presence and eternal life are available to you if you will just look to Him and accept Him. Lift your hands and say this prayer: Oh, God, I am so sorry that I have sinned against you, but I have come home; and I want to live in the power of your presence every day. I want the love, the grace and the forgiveness of your presence. I confess my sins before you, and I believe the blood of your Son, Jesus, washes them all away. Come into my heart, Jesus! Come on in!

If you meant that prayer, you can now say, Hallelujah! Jesus is mine! It is a great privilege to be able to live in and cherish God’s presence, so let Him fill you to the brim. Then go forth to win souls for the Kingdom.

You Can Be Healed Now

Now, you can have the miracle or healing you need. Many have received miracles when God’s presence found a resting place in their hearts, and so can you. The old-time power is falling even greater now than it did in the beginning of the Church, so only believe.

Lord, I bring the cancer victims and the heart patients to you. I bring those who are paralyzed, crippled or have AIDS. I bring the afflicted children and those who were born deformed or with just part of a brain. Perform your wonderful, mighty works upon all of them, and let them behold your glorious deliverance. As a servant of the living God and in the holy name of Jesus, I come with your supernatural gifts. Heal! Heal! I curse all the diseases and afflictions in the name of Jesus.

The healing virtue is flowing, and the power of the Lord is going into you. Feel His presence in you as He makes you whole. Then write, email or visit us on Facebook to share what God has done for you.

Do You Have a Spirit of Cooperation or a Spirit of Resistance?

By Steve Millar

The Bible says, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation (Romans 13:1,2). Have you ever been on a team that had one person who would not cooperate and went against everything the other members of the team were trying to accomplish? That person had a negative spirit and didn’t want to do the work necessary for the team to accomplish its goals, and that hindered the project from moving forward.

As children of God, we have to make sure we are a positive influence to God’s team and that we stay in harmony with God’s divine will. A negative attitude can cause great harm in the work of the Lord; so it is important to fast, pray and look to the Lord for divine direction before speaking any opinions.

God wants everyone on His team to be positive team players and work together in the unity of the Spirit. That is the only way we will be able to defeat the devil. We may not fully understand God’s plan or know how we are going to accomplish it; but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will win every time.

God’s Plan Requires Obedience

When God brought the entire Israelite nation out of Egyptian bondage, His plan was for the people to possess the land He had promised to Abraham hundreds of years earlier. That plan was already in place, and all the Israelite people had to do was follow it. It seemed pretty simple, but some of the Israelites didn’t trust God’s plan; and they discouraged others with their negative attitudes.

Moses did what God had commanded him to do, but he couldn’t force the people to obey. Each person had free will to cooperate or resist God’s plan; so Moses told the people, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us. Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged (Deuteronomy 1:20,21). Moses reminded the people of God’s promises and urged them not to give in to fear and discouragement.

The Twelve Spies

Moses sent 12 men to spy out the land. And ye came near unto me [Moses] every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out (Deuteronomy 1:22-24). Moses expected those spies to return with a strategy on how to possess the land, but that is not what happened. Instead, 10 of the 12 spies returned with a negative report.

Moses went on to say, And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us. Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us (Deuteronomy 1:25-27).

When you murmur and complain about a plan of God, you become a rebel and not a team player. God hears everything you say, even when it is in the privacy of your own home.

Because of the negative report from 10 of the spies, Moses had a battle on his hands to get the people to focus on God’s promises. The people were more concerned about what the spies had said rather than what God had said; and they replied to Moses, Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there (Deuteronomy 1:28). Two of the 12 spies, Joshua and Caleb, returned with a positive attitude; but unfortunately, the people paid attention only to the negative opinions of the other 10 spies.

Moses again tried to show the people God’s way, but they would not listen. Then I [Moses] said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 1:29-32).

God Will Take Only So Much

That story of the Israelites should teach you a great lesson—that you need to be careful of what comes out of your mouth. If you can’t say something positive that will bless and edify the Lord and His work, don’t say anything at all. You need to take on the spirit of prayer for God’s will to be done. Then you can trust Him to guide and direct you according to His will and want Him to block anything that is not His will.

The Israelites were living by their feelings and not by faith. They had forgotten that God was their leader and that He was in charge. Paul said, If God be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? If God is on your side, you will never lose; but the Israelites were not thinking that way. They were so afraid to fight against the inhabitants of the land that they were ready to go back to Egypt. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt (Numbers 14:4).

Can you believe the people would say such a thing after all the Lord had done for them? Some people today are the same way—when the battle gets a little hot, they are ready to run back to their old, sinful way of life and right back into the devil’s bondage.

God will take only so much rebellion before He brings down His hand of judgment, but some people still think they can get by with disobedience. When God had taken enough of the Israelites’ doubt and unbelief, His judgment did fall; and all the Israelites who were 20 years old and older were not allowed to enter into the Promised Land. Instead, they were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

When I was a kid and I got confined to the house for a day because of something I had done wrong, I thought that was cruel punishment. Well, imagine being punished like that for 40 years. But the Israelites deserved that punishment because they doubted God’s promises. Moses tried to tell them that God would go before them and fight for them just like He did when He brought them out of Egypt, but they would not put their trust in the Lord. Then they crossed the point of no return, and they lost their reward.

Watch What You Say

How many victories have you lost because you did not put your complete trust in the Lord? God’s promises were there for you to claim, but you let the fear of man or the enemy’s discouraging thoughts cause you to lose sight of those promises. Do you murmur and complain about other people or the Lord’s work in the privacy of your own home? Don’t you know that God hears every word you say just like He heard every word the Israelite people said in the privacy of their own tents?

You should always keep a positive attitude; and if you are not happy with someone or something in the work of the Lord, then get on your knees and talk to Jesus. The Lord wants us to speak words that edify, bless and encourage one another, not words that tear down and destroy. It is hard enough fighting the devil and his demons, so you don’t need to be fighting your own brothers and sisters in Christ, too.

Go God’s Way

After Moses had told the Israelite people that they were not going to be able to claim the land of Canaan, the people suddenly had a change of heart. Then ye [the Israelites] answered and said unto me [Moses], We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill (Deuteronomy 1:41-43).

A presumptuous person is one who is ignorant or overconfident in doing something he is not qualified to do, and the Israelites were definitely not qualified to go to battle without God on their side. God will only fight for you when you stay in His divine will. If you go against what God tells you to do, then you no longer have a spirit of cooperation but a spirit of resistance. You will not prosper or be victorious in what you are doing, and you will be on your own without the backing or support of God.

If the Israelites had wanted God’s will to be done, He would not have forced them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. You will never please God if you resist His divine will in your life. Yes, you can make your own decisions, and you can go your own way; but you will never receive all the benefits of God’s promises in your life.

Obey God Rather than Men

The Early Church disciples had a great spirit of cooperation, and they were in one mind and one accord. Many of them even gave their lives for the sake of Christ as they were tortured and killed for preaching the Gospel. You may think you have it hard; but when you look back at what the Early Church disciples suffered, you will realize you have it easy compared to what they went through.

You will never go the wrong way when you obey the will of God; but are you really hearing what the Spirit is saying, or are you hearing the opinions of others? God’s voice has to be louder in your ears than anyone else’s voice. If that is not so, then you will lose sight of His divine direction for your life.

One day, Peter and the apostles were thrown into prison for preaching the Gospel; but the Lord sent an angel to break them out. Then the angel instructed them to go to the temple and continue preaching the Gospel. In the natural, you would think that the best plan of action after breaking out of prison would be to lie low for a while, but that was not God’s plan for the apostles that day.

When word got back to the Jewish leaders that their prisoners had escaped and were in the temple preaching, they had Peter and the apostles brought back before the council. Then the high priest asked them, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us (Acts 5:28). I love how Peter and the other apostles answered him saying, We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). If you always keep that statement in mind when you are faced with adversity, you will come out on top.

It doesn’t matter what other people say or do, or who comes against you; you should obey God rather than men. Keep your focus on the promises of God and trust that He is going to see you through. The Bible says, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith (Revelation 3:22). Who are you listening to? God will work everything out for you according to His will if you will trust Him completely.

Peter and the apostles stood up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they let the high priest and the council know that they were guilty of crucifying Jesus. Those leaders became so angry that they wanted to kill the apostles; but fortunately, there was a Pharisee there who gave some great advice saying, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God (Acts 5:38,39).

Do Not Resist Jesus

Down through the years, people have tried to stamp out the light of the Gospel; but they have not been able to. Why?—because it is not the work of men but the work of God. It doesn’t matter how many people refuse to believe the Word of God because the word of our God shall stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). God’s team is always the winning team. Are you a part of that team, or are you sitting on the sidelines wrapped up in fear and doubt? Are you discouraging your brothers and sisters in Christ by grumbling and complaining? The Bible asks, Can two walk together, except they be agreed (Amos 3:3)?

God’s children need to walk together in the unity of the Spirit to be able to do all the Lord wants us to do in this final hour. Child of God, we already know who is going to win the fight between good and evil—those who are blood-washed and living free from sin. You don’t have to live in fear and doubt if you are listening to the right things; but if you are not, you will take on the spirit of resistance instead of the spirit of cooperation.

If you are a sinner or a backslider, give your heart to the Lord today because you are not promised tomorrow. The devil wants you to resist the Lord’s call to repentance; but if you do, you might seal your fate just like the Israelites did. They had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and many of them never made it out. Sinner, if you die in your sins, you will wake up in the devil’s wilderness of fire and brimstone; and there will be no escape for eternity.

Our God is a merciful God, but His mercy will eventually end; so don’t wait any longer. This is the time to receive Jesus. Say the sinner’s prayer located on page 6 of this magazine, and open your heart and receive Jesus today.