15th August 2021
Minister: Pastor Seyi Osanyinbi
Looking through the scriptures, one of the most powerful thoughts has to do with God’s presence. God has promised us His presence here on Earth and it is something we should cherish till eternity. Your salvation is all about His presence; about returning to God. It is not all about returning to a place (heaven) as we have been made to believe.
In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hide from the presence of God. The story of the prodigal son is also one about a man who walked away from the presence of his father and went to waste his resources. Many today have likewise walked away from God’s presence and have gone to waste their lives.
You may go to church yet not be in God’s presence. However, it gives God pleasure that we stay in His presence.
Only a person who understands the importance of a thing will value it. David understood the importance of God’s presence and he asked God not to withdraw His presence from him. You cannot survive this world if you do not have the presence of God with you. The presence of God is what makes you different from an unbeliever.
You must also understand that there are things that will not be acceptable in God’s presence and you must do away with them. You must do all you can to have the presence of God with you and be conscious of it. There is nothing as terrible as not having access to the presence of God forever and that is what hell is – a place void of His presence.
God wants to present us faultless in His presence. He alone can do that. Whatever we have achieved on Earth will mean nothing when we cross over to the other side of eternity. What will be important is that we can stand in His presence without fault or blame. That is the whole essence of salvation – to present us faultless before God.