SCRIPTURE: Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Psalm 139:7-9.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Prayer increases your awareness of the nearness of God, and the awareness of the nearness of God equals discomfort with sin.
In one of our previous studies, we saw that prayer changes people, that the person who prays is changed by their prayer.
Now, how does prayer change people or the character of people? One way prayer changes people’s character is that prayer increases a man’s consciousness of the nearness of God.
Prayer increases your awareness of the nearness of God, and the awareness of the nearness of God equals discomfort with sin. When a person is aware that God is near, comfortability with doing the wrong things is destroyed.
My wife and I always tell our children, “Don’t just be afraid of doing the wrong things because daddy and mummy are around and will know; be more afraid of doing the wrong things because of God; He is ever present. Let the awareness of God’s Presence wherever you are in the world be your motivation for doing the right things other than the fear of daddy and mummy.”
Every genuine prayerful person carries a tangible and feelable Presence. He is aware that God is always around him, and that awareness keeps him away from doing the wrong things, thereby making him to live a holy life. And a holy life is a magnet of Divine Presence.
When you are conscious of God’s Presence, you can’t go two steps in the wrong direction without your conscience literally resisting you to a stand-still. So, prayer increases man’s consciousness of God’s presence; it increases our awareness of the closeness of God to us, and that equals discomfort with sin.
The question I would like to ask you is: are you conscious of God’s Presence around you? Are you aware that God is near you wherever you may be because He is the Omnipresent God? Prayer increases your consciousness of God’s Presence, and your consciousness of the Presence of God keeps you away from sin, thereby making you to live a holy life.
Remember this: Prayer increases your awareness of the nearness of God, and the awareness of the nearness of God equals discomfort with sin.
ASSIGNMENT:
1. Ask God to draw you closer to Himself.
2. Maintain a constant awareness of God’s Presence around You.
PRAYER: Father, I ask that You draw me close to You. I receive the grace and discipline to pray consistently and maintain the consciousness of your Presence so I can live a holy life, Lord in Jesus’ Name.
FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: The Fuel of Character (Part 2).
QUOTE: When you sit down with someone to piece the character of another, and destroy his personality, you are guilty of murder. It is called character assassination.
AMAZING FACT: Elephants have strong family ties and will help raise each other’s calves.
PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: May the Presence of God surround your life to the point where you are able to stay free of sin in Jesus’ Name.
