In His Presence 
the meaning of true worship
 

by  Sharah LaGail Wyatt

CHAPTER  ONE

Worship

WORSHIP defined:  to find, know, possess, and enjoy God.  That’s Worship.  That is the very essence of our existence.

MAN (human-kind) was originally created by God with this purpose ~ fellowship with God Himself.  We are made in His image. His purpose for us today remains the same as in the beginning…. fellowship and communion with Him.  This should be our ultimate pursuit in life.

The reason?  “…The Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).”   [John 4.23-24]

God is seeking you.  He’s seeking your love,  your worship, your fellowship.  He wants to have a very close, intimate relationship with you.  Why?  Because He loves you.  He enjoys being with you.  He delights in you.  But there is another reason He wants to have a close relationship with you.  “…he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”       [Hebrews 11.6]

Contained within the presence of  God is everything you or I will ever need or desire. God is interested in every detail of your life, and He has already prepared everything you will need to live a life of complete satisfaction.  But how do you access those things?  The key is in the above verse.

When you come to God (in prayer, in worship)  you must believe that He is Real.  And you must also believe that when you seek Him, He will reward you.

Reward you with what?  Himself.  He will reward you with  Himself and  Himself will be whatever you need Him to be. Isn’t that awesome!  You have access to everything you need, everything you desire – 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week – in the most wonderful place in the universe called the presence of God!!

One of the most important things you could ever do is learn to draw from the Source (His Presence) for everything.  Not only that, but you will never find a more wonderful experience than being with Him in that kind of relationship.  But there’s something you’ve got to do in order to attain it.  However, I’ll assure you, it’s all well worth it!  The rewards far outweigh the work!

PURSUING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.”     Psalm 27.4 AMP

You must actively consistently pursue His presence. What do I mean by  “pursue His presence” ?

To pursue means:  to seek after, to follow intently; to continue to investigate; to hunt; to search; to want to obtain or reach.  Pursuing the Presence of God  begins by making a quality decision. That decision is found in Psalm 27.8 AMP –   

“You [God] have said,  ‘Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]’.

My heart says to You [God],  ‘Your face (Your presence), Lord, I will seek, inquire for and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].”

God is calling you to seek His face (His presence), to desire it with great intent, to crave it and thirst for it more than you do anything else – to require it as your number one,  vital need.  Your part is to simply answer that call.   How?  Look at the second half of that verse –   “…my heart says to You…”

First of all, whether you realize it or not,  your heart wants to know God intimately. Your heart desires to get into the presence of God.  You were created to desire it.

It is your first nature to desire and engage in close fellowship with God on a consistent basis.  The necessary desire is there, but now it must be cultivated in order to produce results.  Cultivation starts by following the God-given hunger for His fellowship and speaking out that desire from your heart.

“My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, I will seek… [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].”

Notice the last words of that verse again.  The Word of God  contains within itself the ability (power) to bring itself to pass.  So when you take a promise in the Word and begin to speak it, believing that as you do it will happen – Be assured,  it will show up in your life!

It won’t necessarily come the first 5 minutes you speak it.  You’ll need to make it a habit to say those promises over and over, consistently.  … and enjoy it!  You can be certain, it will start the very second you open your mouth.  Every minute you speak God’s Word will bring you closer to the full completion of His promises in your life!

CHAPTER  TWO

Hunger

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5.6

Hunger.

What an awesome word. It is one of the most wonderful gifts given to mankind.

Oh, if I had one gift, or one desire that I would bestow on you, more than all others, I would bestow on you the hunger for God.  “blessed are they which do hunger.”  Hunger is the best thing that ever came into a man’s life.  Hunger is hard to endure.  It is the call of the nature for something that you do not possess.  The thing that will satisfy the demands of the nature of the Spirit of life that will generate the abundant life of God. 

Hunger is a mighty good thing. It is the greatest persuader I know of.  It is a marvelous mover.

Nations have learned that you can do most anything with a populace until they get hungry.

But when they get hungry you want to watch out. There is a certain desperation that accompanies hunger.  I wish we all had it spiritually. I wish to God we were desperately hungry for God. Wouldn’t it be glorious?    (John G. Lake – His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith [pp. 113, 81] used by permission from Kenneth Copeland Ministries)

Well, here is the good news: we can all develop this kind of hunger for God.

There is nothing more wonderful than the indwelling of God in the human life.  The most supreme marvel that God ever performed was when He took possession of those who are hungry. “Blessed are they which do hunger.”  

I will guarantee to you that after the crucifixion    of Jesus there were 120 mighty hungry folks at Jerusalem.  I do not believe if they had not been mighty hungry that they would have gotten so gloriously filled.  It was because they were hungry that they were filled.

We are sometimes inclined to think of God as mechanical; as though God set a date for this event or that to occur. But my opinion is that one of the works of the Holy Ghost is that of preparer.  He comes and prepares the heart of men in advance by putting a strong hunger for that event that has been promised by God until it comes to pass.   (John G. Lake, His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith [p. 82] used by permission from KCM)

It is God’s will for you to hunger for Him.  It is yours for the asking. According to Matthew 7.7-8  “Ask, and it will be given to you…for everyone who asks, receives…”

Ask the Holy Spirit to develop a hunger for God in your heart.  When you do, He will go to work inside you,  leading you closer and closer each day into an ever-deepening passion for God.  It’s a most wonderful experience.

Don’t be surprised, however,  if along this journey you begin experiencing frequent “hunger pangs” – Because they will happen. When they occur,  one of the best things you can do is set everything else aside and “EAT”.  How?  Just start telling God how much you love Him. Let Him know that you’re hungry and that you just want to spend some time with Him.

It’s important to remember, too, that God is hungry for you and that He desires your affection.

He is hungry for your heart – not in a selfish sense.  But He wants you to give Him your all….because that is the only way He can give you His all.

Read Psalm 63 and Psalm 27 over and over to Him until they become the paramount cry of  your heart –

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You;  my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water, to see Your power and Your Glory, so as I have seen You in the sanctuary.”      – Psalm 63.1

Remember, as we discussed earlier, that God’s words contain power.  If you’ll pray these Psalms daily (and even several times within each day), your whole life will start taking on the image of those words.  Your desires and the way that you see things will change, and you will begin living a higher dimension of life than you’ve ever known. Even though your circumstances still may be the same, you’ll see them differently.  Things will look brighter to you because you are becoming more and more aware of The One living inside you.

When you really know that God is with you and that the Holy Spirit is indwelling you to lead you into a life far beyond anything you could dream of – there’s nothing to fear or be discouraged about.  Even when trouble stares you in the face, it won’t be able to get you down because you’re in vital union with the Greater One.   (I John 4.4)

I cannot stress the importance enough of communicating with God daily.  It is a must in developing and maintaining this hunger we’ve been talking about.  Throughout your day, make it a point speak to God often.  It doesn’t take very long.  It’s those little moments – in which to just say,  “I love You, Lord.  I’m hungry for You.  Thank You for loving me.” – that really count!

You’ll need to spend longer times with Him for prayer and Bible study – but don’t let that be the only time you talk to Him.  Allow Him to be a part of everything you do. If you’ll do that, He will start speaking back to you more and more. Actually, He is speaking to you all the time. But in order to hear Him, you’ve got to

TUNE INTO HIS VOICE.

CHAPTER  THREE

Hearing God’s Voice

“Then I  turned  to see  the  voice  that spoke  to me…”    – Revelation 1.12

“And I turned around for the purpose of seeing  the voice… which was engaging me in conversation.”          – Revelation 1.12 (Wuest)

From the Wuest translation we can see that tuning into God’s voice has to be a deliberate, on purpose choice and action on our part.  “…the voice…which was engaging me in conversation.”

The rest of this verse makes it very clear that God is constantly carrying on a conversation with us – when we’re listening to Him – and even when we’re NOT!

We would do well to start listening to what He has to say – instead of missing out on all the valuable information, insight, wisdom, and understanding He’s offering us, that, if we would heed to it, would save us out of the day to day mistakes and confusion we all encounter –  not to mention the serious trouble and devastating experiences that often lurk in the near future.  You can fall prey to these impending dangers or you can choose to daily listen to God, obey what He tells you, and escape them all.

Perhaps you are wondering how you are to go about hearing from God.  You may think it would be hard to do.  But it’s not.  It begins with a choice and an action. The choice is simply telling yourself that you want to hear from God and that you are now making it a priority, something really important in your life.

As for the action, I can give it to you in two words – EXPECT IT!

No matter where you are or what you are doing – expect to hear God speak to you.  AND HE WILL!

EXPECTATION  is to you what a selector dial is to a radio – you won’t hear anything until you turn it to the right station.

For instance:  You have to set the dial on a certain station if you want to hear classical music (or whatever).  In the same way, you have to set your expectation on hearing God if you want to hear God.

What you expect is what you get.  What you  focus on will eventually show up in your life.  That’s why it’s so important what you think about, talk about, and expect. Your thoughts and words contain power – so watch them carefully.  They’ll soon become a reality.

Choose to be in His Spirit (not in the world’s spirit).   [Revelation 1.10]

Think about Him all the time. Set your mind on Him. Set your mind on His Word. Fellowship with Him through His Word. Let it get down into your spirit, so that even when you’re doing other activities – His Word resounds on the inside of you, talking to you day and night.  Purposely think about God, about His Word,  about the things He’s done for you – even when you don’t “feel like it”.

When you do that, consistently, His thoughts will begin to take over your old natural thoughts.

Eventually, His Word will become such a part of you that, without thought, you will think, talk, and act just like God!

That’s what I want.  I want to be so full, so consumed by all that God is – I want the life and the Love of God to literally overflow in me.  I want to know God to the point that I become just like Him. That kind of  thinking may seem arrogant and irreverent.  But it’s not.  In fact, God has commanded us to desire to be like Him – and actively pursue it!

“Be Holy, for I Am Holy!”!        – I Peter 1.16

God is saying,  “Be like Me!”  It delights Him to see you looking and acting more like Him.  Because when you do – He’s then able to open up to you His secrets and share His mysteries.  He longs to share His deepest thoughts with you, and for you to share yours with Him – just like best friends.

God wants to have pleasure and delight with you. But the best times you’ll ever have with Him come only after you learn to humble yourself before Him.

CHAPTER  FOUR

True Humility

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.”   [Revelation 1.17]

The Apostle John:  Here is a man who (as a young person) walked with Jesus when He was on earth. Nearly every miracle Jesus did, every dead person He raised – John was there.

At the Last Supper, it was John who sat next to Jesus and lay back on His chest.  When Jesus stood trial before the High Priest of the land and all the other disciples stood outside, it was John who walked right in the courtroom and stood close by Him.

In his Gospel account, John refers to himself as …the disciple who Jesus loved – no doubt, he must have been perhaps the closest friend on earth Jesus had.  Think about it – it was to this man alone that Jesus chose to appear to, many years after He ascended to Heaven, and commissioned to write the entire book of Revelation.  If you were Jesus wouldn’t you choose only your most trusted friend with such divine information?

Yet, when John saw Him that day,  he fell down at Jesus’ feet like a dead man.  How many times have you fallen down like a dead man when your best friend just walked in the room?  Probably never.

Yet, that is exactly what John did. Why?  Because, though He was his friend, John never ceased to honour and revere Jesus as who He was foremost – Almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Enjoying a very close, intimate relationship with Jesus, all the while honouring His sovereignty and unfathomable greatness is what entitled John to such an awesome life – fully experiencing the love and presence of God.

That kind of life can be yours, too, when you choose to humble yourself before Him.

James 4.10 says – “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

I Peter 5.6-7

“Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

But don’t let this be a ritual, some religious act you think you “have to do” in order to please God.

NO.  When it is said to humble yourself, it is talking about something that starts deep inside your heart – a compelling force, spawned by your love for God, that rises up within you and causes you, as an act of your own will, to lay aside everything else for the sake of pleasing Him and doing what He desires.

In other words, it’s saying,  “Lord, even though there are a lot of things I’d really like to do right now, because I love You so much I’m setting all that aside. I’m humbling myself before You. I acknowledge that I can do nothing apart from You. With You, Lord, there’s nothing I can’t do!  So, Lord, I’m here – NOW what would You have me to do for You!   YOUR WILL is my greatest desire!”

When you begin living with that kind of attitude, you’ll live the most fulfilling life you’ve ever dreamed of!

Remember the last part of James 4.10? …and He will lift you up…

That’s a promise. When you humble yourself before God, He will exalt, promote, and lift you up to a life higher than you could ever imagine.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and [He] shall cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth.”                                    [ Isaiah 58.14]

God’s heart burns with a deep love for you. He wants to fill you so full with Himself and with every good and desirable thing. But so often He can’t.  Why?  Because we are so full of other things.

It’s time to rid ourselves of all the things we have allowed to pour in and take over our lives. It’s time for us to truly humble ourselves before God and be filled with the only thing of lasting importance – HIM.

CHAPTER  FIVE

Drawing Near

Oh, how I’ve waited to get to this next part!

Drawing near – the very words send a tremor through my soul – shakes me to the very core of my being.  The precious little experience I’ve had in it (compared to the infinite greatness that still awaits me)  only whets my appetite for more!  Just one taste of Him, just one look into the beauty of His holiness, keeps me reeling in awe for days.    

You think I’ve lost my mind?  What is so great about drawing near?

Because when you draw near to God,  He will draw near to you! [James 4.8]  And when God draws near to you – nothing else matters!

It’s finding out – from experience – that God is head over heels in love with you.  When that happens, it’s no longer a “chore” to spend time with God – actually, it becomes a chore to do anything else!  All you want to do is be with Him – because He’s so good!

As you grow in intimacy with Him, His life in you will begin enriching even the mundane things of life.  And what I’m saying about everything else becoming a “chore” is that the “things” that once mattered a lot to you will somehow lose their importance, as you allow God to take the preeminence in your life.

Drawing near to God opens up a whole new world that you would other wise never know.

Because it is to His friends alone that God chooses to reveal His secrets.

“no longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends,  for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”                – John 15.15

“Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.”             – Jeremiah 33.3

God has prepared a divine destiny for you that’s beyond anything you could ever dream of.  And that destiny is just waiting for you to discover and begin walking in it.  However, your destiny can only be realized by drawing near to God and allowing Him to show and lead you in the right paths – the only paths that will lead you to that destiny.  

Jeremiah 29.11- 13 says,   “For I know the plans that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

God is constantly thinking about you, dreaming about your future, dreaming and planning ways to bless you and surprise you with good, wonderful and delightful gifts – not just materially – but in every area of your life.

For instance, God knows about all those little things in life that you like, many of which you never tell anyone about – but He knows about them. How about those times when you see something, or maybe you’re just sitting there daydreaming, and all of a sudden you think to yourself,  “Wow, I sure wish I could do that, or have this, or experience that kind of life…”

Never think that those thoughts go unnoticed.  God pays very close attention to everything about you.  In fact, He is still thinking about you, about your desires, long after you go to sleep at night. He never quits.

This may shake your thinking a bit, but God actually desires to see you standing in you’re dream more than you do.  Because when you’re happy and blessed, He is happy and blessed.

When things sadden your heart, God’s heart is saddened.  Why? Because He loves you and He is near to those who have a broken heart and are crushed in spirit.  [Psalm 34.18]

His will for you is not sadness, but joy.  He is wholly committed to doing those things He has promised in His Word – to make you the spiritually, emotionally, physically, financially, relationally successful person He’s created you to be.

I Corinthians 2.9-10 says,  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him…”

…but it doesn’t end there. The next verse says,  “But God has REVEALED them to us through His Spirit…” 

The glorious, awesome mysteries of God’s plan for your life – is revealed to you by His Spirit.  His plans for you are discovered when you seek Him with all your heart.  Notice it says  “seek Him” – not seek the plan!

It is through seeking, drawing near to Him that you will be able to acquire the life-changing information you need to stand in your dream and walk out your destiny.

The fact is, when you seek after God, you run right into His goodness.  Why? Because He is a good God.

I John 4.16 says, “…God is Love..”     Well, I don’t think I have to explain the definition of “Love”.  We all have a pretty good idea of  what real love is supposed to be – and that is exactly what the Word says God is.  He is Love.

Life in vital union with God is just that – LIFE!  Not death. Not grief. Not devastation. But Life.  Not only that, but Jesus said in John 10.10 – that He gave us that Life in abundance, in excess, over and beyond our wildest dreams!

It is His desire to flood our lives with everything that is good.  And what an awesome thing it is to know that it’s all just a decision away – a decision to step into the most beautiful covenant relationship ever known – intimacy with Almighty God.

Whether you’re just coming to know God or you’ve walked with Him for years – I trust you’ll step out and begin violently, aggressively pursuing a deeper level of this life with God.

All of Heaven is waiting to pour into your life  ….Oh, the bliss that’s yet to be discovered –  as you take your place in the heart of God.

Finding…..knowing…..possessing…..loving…. hungering…...worship…..

Now that’s really enjoying God!

“I want to drink God, deep draughts of God.  I’m  thirsty for God-alive.”

Psalm 42.2 (Message)

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible

Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982,  Thomas Nelson, Inc.

John G. Lake: His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith  reprinted with permission from Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

IN HIS PRESENCE ~

the meaning of true worship

Original message – 29 Nov. 2001

Copyright © 2004,  2007  Sharah LaGail Wyatt

First Love Ministries International

P O Box 163974,  Ft Worth, TX 76161

www.ps27fr.org

Printed in the United States of America.  All rights reserved under international copyright law. Contents and/ or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without written consent of the publisher.

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