I:60 Present of Present

The Present of Present​

This past Monday morning, I had another great opportunity to gather with a few brothers for fellowship and prayer. First off, I am not a morning person. Every Monday, my alarm goes off at 5 a.m., and I push the snooze button for 30 minutes. Finally, I get out of bed, throw on some shoes and a hat, and head over to the shop to meet the guys for our Monday morning men's fellowship. . On the way over, I’m always tired, and at every traffic light, I can feel my eyes grow heavy longing to go back to bed. Still, when I arrive at the shop, I unlock the building, turn on the heater, grab a cup of coffee, and wait for the men to show up, not knowing who God was going to bring to the shop this Monday morning. But as always, He was faithful in bringing three other men today, and as we shared and discussed what God had shown us this week through scripture, prayer, and my favorite ”life interactions.” we discovered that God had shown us a common word in our weekly experience. The word was “present” not in the noun sense of an actual gift, but rather the adjective, present in the form of time - being in the now, being in the moment. We discovered in our stories that a person being present in our life, or that we are that person present in someone else's life, is more influential than we have ever considered. Many men do not think much about the impact their presence makes on their wives, children, or others around them. A male's presence is a gift that many men waste and others abuse. But there are a few who realize this gift and consider the greatness in the responsibility of serving all whom they are in the presence of including their heavenly Father. These men are not merely men of earned authority, but men who are meek, patient, kind, merciful, full of grace, wise, prudent, and most importantly, they know they are not perfect in any of these attributes and continue relying on the Spirit and the brothers they are surrounded by, encouraging them in building them up through scripture and prayer. Are you one of these men? Ask yourself this: “Am I truly present when I'm around my wife, my son, my daughter?” Then ask yourself what presence they feel when they are around you. Is it the presence of the Spirit in you or is it the presence of self? The honest answer to these questions may bring us to an uncomfortable place, but that is where God does His best work on us and in us. Why? Because that place of discomfort is where we feel His presence most, and in this time, His presence is indivisible and has our complete attention.

Getting up at 5:00 every Monday morning to fellowship with my brothers and being in the presence of God is always a struggle; it's never been easy for me. If I'm honest with myself then I would identify it as spiritual laziness that opens up opportunities for Satan's words to work alongside my human nature, and because I choose to listen to those words rather than the words of the Spirit. I cheat myself out of the many blessings that God has made available to me every single day. Satan teaches me to excuse myself with excuses that justify my heart, yet not my soul, so my heart walks away satisfied with little conscience about the matter, but my soul still yearns for the presence of God and my soul is left wanting. But as always, God is faithful because when I choose Him and fellowship over my Monday morning excuses, I am always blessed beyond measure.

For those who can relate to this spiritual warfare, join us and learn to fight. For those who have learned how to defy the enemy in this area, I encourage you to join us and help show us how to fight.

“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

““Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Join us 6am every Monday morning at 600 e Roosevelt Visalia Ca 93292