What Extinguishes the Presence of the Lord? by Shane Idleman
Hear the life-changing sermon by the same title here.
Many wrongly assume that God’s presence has to do with judgment rather than blessing. Is God’s presence good or bad? Both … It’s frightening in regard to judgment, “The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence” (Isaiah 91:1), but it’s very good in relation to His presence in the life of a believer.
Although some have misrepresented His presence through weird behavior, there is nothing weird about experiencing the presence of God. In the midst of pain, there is relief. In the midst of suffering, there is sweet surrender. In the midst of fear, there is incredible joy. In the midst of uncertainty, there is a God who will never leave nor forsake. In the midst of confusion and chaos, there is stability and hope.
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Spiritually Dead or Alive?
Although God is everywhere (what theologians call His omnipresence), there is a stark difference between a believer who is spiritually dry and dead and the one who is full of passion, desire, and fire. The great devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, is a good example of this. He wrote these words before he received a mighty downpour of God’s presence, “God used me during those years … but I had no conscious communion with Him. The Bible was the dullest, most uninteresting book in existence.”
A few years later, he wrote, “If the four previous years had been hell on earth, these five years have truly been heaven on earth. Glory be to God, the last aching abyss of the human heart is filled to overflowing with the love of God.” Heaven was rent; the downpour came to his parched heart.
Sadly, those who are spiritually dry make excuses as to why they can’t experience more of God. The argument goes something like this: “I received all of the Holy Spirit at conversion.” That is true, but it begs the question, “Has He received all of you? Have you humbled yourself and surrendered everything, including your pride?”
No Such Thing as a Painless Pentecost
Experiencing God cannot always be rushed. The disciples waited days in an upper room before they received a downpour: “He acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:4). Leonard Ravenhill once said, “There is no such thing as a painless Pentecost.” There is a price to pay to truly experience God. Here are just a few points to consider, taken from the sermon mentioned above:
1. SIN MUST BE CRUCIFIED NOT CODDLED: As R.A. Torrey reminds us, “The gratification of the flesh and the fullness of the Spirit do not go hand in hand.” Evil rarely looks wrong until it accomplishes its purpose—It fascinates before it assassinates. To truly experience God’s presence, we must starve the source of sin. Paul instructs Christians to “make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14).
2. FEAR QUENCHES FAITH: Fear is a lack of trust in God. Fear will quench His power and presence in our life if we fail to act courageously. When we fear men, circumstances, or loss, we run the risk of becoming ineffective. In the same way that the DMV offers a certificate of non-operation when a vehicle is not working properly, fear makes us ineffective, unproductive, negative, angry, depressed, disgruntled, discouraged, and critical. It drains the spiritual life from us.
3. LACK OF DESIRE: A.W. Tozer once said: “It’s hard to get people to come to church when the only entertainment is God.” Spiritual hunger, or a lack thereof, speaks volumes: If prayer is boring, worship dead, and church irrelevant, we are dying spiritually. A lack of desire for God will surely extinguish His presence. If we don’t seek Him we won’t find Him.
