22 May 2013 by James Hoh CM –
Pastor Julius Suubi from Nairobi, Kenya, was the guest speaker at Metro Tabernacle Assembly of God last Sunday. He is the founder of Highway of Holiness Ministries which birthed the Heaven’s Fire Annual Summit in Africa, South Korea and Hong Kong.
He also held a four-day seminar at the church which concluded on Sunday evening with the release of the apostolic prayer anointing on all who attended.
His message was simple yet profound – the importance of the presence of God in the lives of Christians. Here is the summary of his message:
We need the presence of God to be fulfilled.
God made a void in human hearts that cannot be filled by money nor material things because that void can only be filled with the presence of God.
So many people chase after so many things thinking that they would be secured and fulfilled with them. They acquire luxury cars, big and beautiful houses; have mistresses and some married wives, consume alcohol and many work so hard for money but they are chasing the wind.
Nothing in this world will satisfy man because this is the way how God created them.
The Bible gives three reasons why God created man:
1. God wants us to be like Him thus we are made in His image.
2. God wants us to have dominion – the power of the Holy Spirit to have dominion over everything including money, sicknesses and our nation. Let us not look at just one event, God is working in ways that our naked eye could not see.
3. God wants us to be stewards of all His creations.
Our World Changed
Christians cannot be like Him if they do not have a relationship with Him.
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark 3:13-15)
This pattern occurs in the Bible. When Jesus called His disciples, their first priority was to spend time with Him. Because Christians cannot serve the God that they don’t know.
The Hebrews were brought out of Egypt. Their first priority was to spend time with God and have a relationship with Him, understand His ways before God led them to the Promised Land.
Every morning people rush off to work without spending time with God and they wonder why He did not make them successful.
God desires Christians to spend good quality time with Him. How often do they do this?
The first and most important thing God requires is that Christians spend time with Him. They must reserve the best time they have during the day to spend time with God, not when they return from work all exhausted.
They also need to be disciplined to put away their newspapers, turn off their television sets or get off the internet.
God wants His children to spend time with Him first before ministry. Only through this relationship would they have the desire to serve with maximum impact. It is the presence of God in such a relationship that has supernatural power.
God blesses His children spiritually first before blessing them physically and materially.
Even Jesus had to spend time with God for 40 days (in the desert after His baptism) because it empowered His ministry and not because He is the Son of God.
After having a good relationship with God, Christians would have supernatural power to preach, heal and power over demons. We will birth personal and national revival.
Supernatural powers are not meant for Pastors alone but every Christian.
Our Identity Changed
When Christians spend time with God, their identity will be changed.
Jesus changed the name of his disciple Simon which means “very shaky” to Peter which means “rock” because he had spent time with Him.
If Christians don’t spend time with God, the devil can also give them a negative identity, for example, low self-esteem and depression.
When they spend time with God, His presence will break every generation curse. Pastor Suubi gave his own example:
“I was sick and had to take pain killer – the devil gave me an identity but not until year 1996, I told the devil ‘enough is enough’. From that day, I spent time with God and I didn’t have to take medicine for my heart”.
Our Needs Met
Moses told God:
“If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (Exodus 33:15)
Moses didn’t want an angel to be with him but God himself because he knew the power of His presence.
The word “presence” in the Hebrew language means faces. When God said to Moses “My presence shall go with you,” it means God’s faces shall go with him. God can be the Christian’s ultimate doctor and financier in time of need.
When Christians spend time with God, they will not be stuck. So when one door closes another door will be opened. God will have better things for Christians – they are to trust God.
People may fail Christians but God never fails. In the Kingdom of God there is no crisis.
Our Lives Blessed
When Moses requested to see God’s presence, the Lord gave him a specific place to be in order to see Him.
The Lord said, “There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock.” Exodus 33:21
Moses could not see God in his position. He had to move his position to a place of rock. It is not easy to stand on the rock to see the back of God.
If Christians want their lives to be blessed, they need to change and get out of their comfortable lives (zone) to a position God calls them to be and it may be an uncomfortable place. They will have to move out of their comfortable place to see the glory of God in their lives.
Dear Viewers in Christ, if you find this article edifying to you, please share with your friends or loved ones by using the social media plugs (Share, Email to this article). The Lord will surely bless you as you bless others. May the Lord’s peace and love be with you. Amen.
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