We’re Lovers of His Presence
(5 minutes)
This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it's still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him. (1 John 1:5)
Happy New Year to all of our Kingdom family at The Wilderness Place!
As we walk into this new year we have one goal: to be lovers of His presence as we're rooted even deeper in the revelation that Abba has always been a lover of our presence. Isn't it a breath of fresh air not to be weighed down by the heavy burdens and cares of fixing your life and wrestling with the future? You can rest on January 1, 2024, knowing that the only thing you need to pursue in this new year is His face. As He becomes our singular obsession, everything else is put right. In 2024, we just want to be lovers of His presence.
Pastor Tim mentioned such a significant truth yesterday after we worshipped together. The key to becoming a lover of His presence is to descend even deeper into the truth that He is a lover of our presence. Abba loves being with you. He takes great delight in you. There's no place He would rather be than with you. He crossed the greatest divide that has ever existed just to be reunited with you. Religion was fine with you calling yourself a lover of God, but it would never let you be identified as one who was already loved by the Father. Why? Because if you would ever be convinced of that truth you would no longer strive and discipline yourself into a "right" relationship with Him. And religion didn't want you to rest. But Jesus came to fix our broken image of the Father. He came to expose the truth about how Abba feels about us. It turns out that He's been crazy about us the whole time!
To the degree we allow Abba to convince us that He's a lover of our presence, is the degree that we will awaken to our burning desire to be a lover of His presence. The revelation of His love for us will unveil the original design of our life to be a lover of Yahweh. Our love will simply be our grateful response to seeing how much delight He already takes in us.
Are you willing to commit an entire year to being convinced of Abba's love for you? Are you willing to make 2024 the year where you let Him smother you with kisses until you are totally and completely convinced of how He feels about you? Until every doubt in your heart is driven out by His heart for you? Until you can sing "He's a lover of my presence" without any hesitation or holding back?
What if this is the only resolution you need in this new year? What if this one thing would produce all the fruit you've been longing to see in your life?
I am the sprouting vine and you're my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you--but when you live separated from me you are powerless. (John 15:5)
I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let me love nourish your hearts. (John 15:9)
We must continually let His love nourish our hearts. It is the key that unlocks everything. As you spend time gazing at Jesus in the place of intimacy, He will show you and convince you of the Father's love. He will reveal just how much delight the Father takes in you. Listen to the last line of Jesus' prayer to Abba in John 17:
I have revealed to them who you are and I will continue to make you even more real to them, so that they may experience the same endless love that you have for me, for your love will now live in them, even as I live in them! (John 17:26)
Jesus came to fix our broken image of the Father. And He has promised to make Abba even more real to us. He longs for us to experience the same endless love of Abba that He has always enjoyed. As we come into intimacy and union with Jesus, this love will begin to nourish our hearts. The only thing you need in 2024 is to descend even deeper into this love that you already have.
Yahweh is a lover of your presence!
Let's take these words on the first walk of 2024. Jesus is about to make Abba even more real to you! Let your expectations rise and prepare to be convinced of how He feels about you. His goodness will be the thing that transforms you into a lover of His presence. Rest in His love, beloved.
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Worship: "I'm A Lover of Your Presence" - Bryan and Katie Torwalt
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
