THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD – THE HOPE OF THE NATIONS!
Saturday, January 7, 2010 at 8:36pm
My prayer, above everything else, is to see God’s glory revealed in our churches, and in our lives – beginning now.
The other day, a prophetic word from Pastor Phil Cappuccio got me thinking about the powerful presence of God that we have experienced, through the years, and it made me long for more of His presence. That’s what His Word is supposed to do within us.
In many of our churches today, we have a ‘good’ anointing, but its just not enough to transform a generation. We must have more! The good news is; that God is willing to pour out more of His presence upon this generation, if we will come hungry, and have a passion for His presence.
After you’ve experienced the presence of God like many of us have throughout the years, you learn two things. If God poured out His Spirit in abundance before, He will do it again (If we actively seek Him for more). And secondly, we can’t be satisfied with less, if we want to receive His presence in abundance.
For those who have never experienced God’s presence in a transforming, life-altering way, I want to give you a brief insight into what a mighty anointing is like. Some of you will remember how we used to stand for hours in His presence, worshipping God with audible praise, and feeling like worship service didn’t last long enough, though it was an hour or more long. But many of you have never fallen under His anointing, without anyone touching you, simply because the weight of His presence was too heavy upon you, to stand.
I have seen battle-hardened veterans, who haven’t shed a tear in years, weep like babies, when God’s presence broke open the well in their lives, and washed away years of hurt and bitterness. In Cambodia, as we worshipped the Lord, I have seen hundreds of Buddhists and Hindus grasp their chests, gasp with delight, and begin laughing for joy, as the presence of God removed the pain of sin from their hearts, and filled them with His presence.
Worship, at times like that, wasn’t about the music we sang, or even the language we sang them in, it was about the message WE sent to God; that we loved Him so intensely, that we were willing to give Him what He wanted (worship), more than desiring to have Him meet any of our needs.
True worship demands sacrifice on our part. We must put our desire to please God above everything else on earth, period. It cannot be about pleasing the crowd, or rocking the house. True worship must be the expression of our love, stemming from a pure relationship.
Within an environment, where every heart longs for more of God, it’s amazing what the power of God can do. People are saved, bodies are healed, bondages are broken, and the prophetic declaration of God comes with such power and precision, that it changes our lives forever.
Don’t take me wrong, I am not criticizing the church, or modern worship leaders, they are worshipping the only way they know how. The problem is, its just not enough to take us where we need to go in God. We are presently confronted with a generation that is desperate to discover the reality of God. Nothing else is capable of convincing people that God is real, and really cares about their needs, than to have His overwhelming presence descend upon them.
I only hope that our churches, and worship leaders will soon experience the presence of God, as we have experienced it through the years. For when they do, it will not only transform their lives, but will radically change the way they worship, from that day forward. And best of all, it will forever alter the destiny of the church.
How I long to see His presence revealed that way again! If there is any hope for the nations, it will only come as we enter into His presence with a holy discontentment, and no longer are satisfied with anything less than seeing the glory of God revealed.
There’s a song that we sing today that says, “We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary … we won’t be satisfied at all.” I pray, in 2010, that God will birth a desire to worship Him with abandon, inside all of us, and that God will pour out His presence in such a way, that none of us will be content to sing songs and sit down. But that our love for more of His presence will compel us to begin worshipping Him with hands raised, and with audible worship – the kind that He desires – and the kind that brings the King’s presence to His people again!
I pray that God will reveal the power of worship to us again! And let our hearts will obediently follow where He leads, for there is nothing this generation needs more than the revealed (and demonstrated), life-changing presence of God.
What do I mean, when I say that God’s presence is life-changing? Let me give you an example: Many believers are on anti-depressant drugs, because they don’t understand that “in His presence is fullness of joy.” But it is the presence of the Lord that casts depression aside, and brings a life-infusing joy that radically changes everything. There is no need for drugs of any kind, when the presence of the Lord is flowing in your life.
I have seen the presence of the Holy Spirit break addictions, shatter fear, heal people’s bodies, release from depression, and save the lost – and all without a sermon. 
I remember standing in worship at Bethesda (Detroit), or in churches in Muskegon, Danville, Coudersport, Baton Rouge (and others), and at minister’s conferences, like at R. L. Goode’s church, in Peoria, Illinois, and for hours on end, we stood lost in the presence of God – in every service.
Several years ago, while pastoring in Muskegon, Michigan, I severely damaged disks in my back. I lived in perpetual pain. But one day, while I stood in His presence, during one of those glorious times of worship, I felt healing come, and from that day to this, my back has been healed.
There is nothing we need more, in the church or world, than a restoration of true worship in the church. I pray it will begin to be restored to us, in 2010, and that a generation will experience the radical change that is only possible, when we see His glory, and experience His presence in abundance.
Can it happen again? It certainly can. By following the example of 2 Chron. 7:14 (“If My people which are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray”…), I believe we can see worship restored, and revival begun – in every one of our churches, because all things are possible when we seek the Lord with all that is in us, and long for nothing more than to glorify then Lord with everything that is in our heart.
This year can be THAT year for us. We don’t have to waste another year. Let’s seek Him, and find Him. Worship Him, and watch Him release His presence in our churches again. And as His presence comes in a powerful, transforming way, we will see lives radically altered, churches explode with power, and the destiny of an entire generation forever changed.
