Practice the Presence

Genesis 28:16 - When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

We need to give God a time slot in our lives every day, but even more than that, God needs to be a presence in our lives all day long, every day. I have decided to establish a habit of practicing the presence of God; and I pray you will too. If it helps to set a timer/watch to remind you every 10-15 minutes, then do so. When your timer goes off, stop and think on God. I heard of a lady who wrote "Jesus" in huge print on a piece of paper and put it on the floor beside her bed, so that when she swung her feet out of the bed in the morning, she'd be reminded to turn her attention to Him. I'm beginning to be more aware of God. I talk to Him about my tensions, and my intentions. I desire to move from knowing theoretically that Christ is in my heart, to desiring intensely a conscious awareness of His nearness. I was like Jacob in Genesis 28:16 who said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." I still fall on my face. At times, my busyness and all my distractions take me far off. In that place, away from His presence, I get uptight, upset and totally ungodly. But by a deliberate act of my will, I submit, re-direct my thoughts and return to His presence and think upon His Word. Self Builders:

• Why is it that a sense of God's nearness is so difficult to keep foremost in our minds?
• What steps can we take to remind ourselves to rejoice in God's presence all day long?

Full Passage: Genesis 28:10-17