Coming Into His Presence

I want us to consider for a moment, what our attitude and demeanor is when we come to God. In other words, how are we, when we approach God? There is a certain way that God is expecting us to have an audience with Him and how we approach His presence is an indicator of the level of maturity and revelation in our lives.

To fully understand this, there are some things we need to know. We’ll begin our discussion with an overview of the eighth chapter of Romans.

Look with me in the eighth chapter of Romans, beginning with the first verse, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The word “condemnation” can be translated “doom or failure.” With that in mind, you realize that there is no failure to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk after the Word of God by the Holy Spirit. Let me say that again, there is no failure to those of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ who learn how to walk after the Word of God by the Holy Spirit.

Let’s continue at the sixteenth verse, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” Let’s think about that for a moment, you are a child of God, I am a child of God, and we are both one of His children. This is not to say that there is a pecking order to the family of God with son number one, son number two, etc. but, that we are all in Christ. When God sees us, He sees His Son (not plural but singular). In other words, when God sees us (we, being in Christ) He sees Jesus.

This doesn’t take away our individuality, but in the Spirit, it enables us to have and know that what God has given to Jesus, He has given to us. Because of this, our strength and victory does not come from who we are as a person, but who we are in Christ.

Continuing with verse 17 we read, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;…” I love this. When I received this revelation, I just about didn’t know what to do. I have inherited God Himself. Do you realize the full implications of what that means? How can you ever lose a battle with God in you? God doesn’t lose.

This is why in the first verse we read that there is no failure to them who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh. If you study Romans, you will learn that the Flesh is appalling to God. The Flesh cannot achieve divine results. Only the Spirit can do that.

Moving along to verses thirty and thirty-one, “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

We don’t receive the glory of God, He deserves all of the glory but, He glorified Himself in us. When Jesus came to earth in the flesh, He became a tangible manifestation of the Word of God. When Jesus manifests Himself in us, when the Word of God is manifest in us, we display the glory of God to the world.

Furthermore, if God be for us nothing can be against us. Cancer, heart failure, poverty and addictions cannot be against us. We already have the victory in Christ Jesus. You have to say it like that because that is the reality of your position in Christ.

Continuing in verse 32 “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

God has given His Son all things. Because His Son has all things, we (who are in Him) have all things. Say that aloud “I have all things.” How can a Christian, being in Christ, not be successful? We have been given all things.

Looking next at verses thirty-three and thirty-four, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

 

The one whom you are in (Jesus Christ) is praying 24/7 for you. How much more should we participate? Jesus is before the Father, continually making intercession for us. We who are in Him should also live in fasting and prayer. As we become mature believers, we realize that the only real value in life is to join in with what God is doing. As we submit to the Spirit with our total self, we’ll begin to see the things that God has ordained for us.

 Verses thirty-five through thirty-seven teach us, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

 

In the midst of all of this persecution, and temptation, when the enemy is throwing everything he has at you, in the middle of all of it all, we are more than conquerors. Say this aloud, “I am more than a conqueror.” Jesus Christ conquered and gave that position that He holds to us. He conquered and now we are more than conquerors because it has been passed on to us.

I John 4:17 lets us know that we are in union with God. It lets us know that as God is, so are we in this world. There is nothing in this world that is hurtful, a problem, a disease, a circumstance, a calamity; that can compete with what we have been given. We are in Christ and God is in us, there is nothing that stands against that combination.

Later in chapter 5, verse 4 we find out “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” This scripture isn’t referring to some distant time when we will eventually overcome and have the victory. You have the victory now. If you are born of God, you are now an overcommer.

Let’s look at one more reference, 2 Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”

Read this verse aloud.

God has given us a triumphant position to overcome everything and anything that the world can throw at us. God doesn’t have a family that he left here to be beat up, knocked down and broke. He left us here as a witness of His love, saving Grace and gifts of the spirit to set men free from every form of ungodly activity that can be perpetrated on mankind.

Now after going through all of those scriptures let us acknowledge some truths about our relationship with God.

1.     By the power of the Holy Spirit we do not have to fail. The Holy Spirit is not setting us up to fail. He has set us up to be a winner.

2.     We have God in us, what more do we need? Our needs have already been met. When God comes to us, He comes with all of His promises.

3.     If God is for us, who can be against us?

4.     With Jesus, He gave us all things.

5.     In all these things we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.

6.     God always causes us to triumph. Always.

7.     We’ve overcome the world, through Faith.

8.     God, as our father, has given us all things.

 

Now, knowing all of these things; knowing that God has given us everything He could possibly give us. How could we ever approach His throne with a downcast spirit?

When we approach the throne of God with a downcast, defeated attitude, we are denying and rejecting the gift that He has already given us. What more could He possibly provide for us? We already have an embarrassment of riches in Him. He has already given us His life, His blood, His promises, His body, His Word, and so much more. When we come to God down in the mullygrubs, are we expressing to Him that what He has already given us is not enough. God forbid! What more do we need?

This is why we are to enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. God will not allow anyone to enter His presence with a down countenance.

God knows what help you need. He knows where the enemy has risen up against you. He already knows what situations need His intervention. It isn’t your depression and neediness that will manifest His victory in these situations. The bible says that the Spirit of joy removes the load of heaviness.

We need to get these scriptures in our hearts and have the revelation of what we are in Christ so that when the enemy puts pressure on you and tries you bring you down you realize that God has given you the victory, He’s made you triumphant, you’ve overcome the world, He’s given you Jesus why wouldn’t He give you everything else?, you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

Psalms 42:5 says, “Why so downcast, oh my soul?…put your faith in God”

We need to come into His presence with thanksgiving. We need to lift up our countenance, because our countenance is the evidence that we have the victory because we have the revelation of the Word of God.