Colossians 3:2
Set your mind (or affection or hearts) on things above, not on things on the earth.
 
If you get a chance to read through Colossians 2, Paul talked about the different dangers that threaten to pull us away from Christ. These dangers led to believers only demonstrating an outward Christianity. When Paul gets to Chapter 3 he is telling it like it is.  Paul is letting us know that if we truly want to live a Christian life that is real and not just an outward Christianity filled with traditions of men;  we are going to have to go back to basics.  As the Ten Commandments stated in Exodus and as the Christian walk always stresses we are to make sure that Christ is first in our lives.  He is to be our focus!!!!  We are to seek those things which are above, that we are to focus and realize that all things come directly from the Lord.
 
The Bible is reminding us that everything on this Earth is temporal.  Our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.  Yes, as believers we say that is true but when push comes to shove we worry and we take our focus off the Lord.  That word worry comes from the old English term which means ”to choke” or “to strangle”.  That is very appropriate since worry strangles the mind, which is the seat of our emotions.
 
The word even fits the notion of a panic attack.  Are you aware that people, even in the Bible worried about what they were going to eat or drink or wear?   What do we say?  I am not worrying about extravagant or luxury items I am just worrying about the basics. 
 
But if you read through the Bible we learn that God wants His children preoccupied with Him and not with the mundane, passing things of this world.  He says: “Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on the earth" (Colossians 3:2). So if Our Lord is telling us that then He is freeing us from worrying about the basics.  He will take care of that.  Yes, we must work and do our part but He will take care of the rest.
 
“Set your minds (or hearts or affection) on things above, not on earthly things.”  There are a lot of similarities between the heart and our minds-but there is a basic difference.  What the heart dwells upon and what the mind dwells upon can be quite different.  The heart is led by our emotions that is why salvation is referred to as giving your heart to Jesus.  But salvation is more than just an intellectual decision.  Certainly, a person could reason the issue out and come to the logical conclusion that it makes more sense to live for Jesus than it does for the devil and the world.  But true conversion is more than just a mental decision.  It involves the center of our emotions, our heart. Then when the heart is transformed, Romans says, our mind will be renewed.
 
The secret to a godly life is simple we are to have a proper relationship with Christ. A relationship that is not dependent on me, myself or I; but on the power of the Almighty God that we serve.  For we see that possessions, wealth, power, honor and pleasures are more important to our culture today. The end result has been that we have moved “out of the way” all  those things that the Bible says is important.  Yes, we have even moved out of the way our belief in God.  Paul reminds us that when we desire the things on this earth more than we desire to things of God we are making a big mistake.  Yes, as believers we all have ambitions, values and affections but Christ now directs those ambitions, values and affections.
 
Paul is telling us how to focus our lives.  We need to be connected to a source of life above us just as a deep sea diver must keep hold of his air line in order to breathe.  Whenever we feel down or get discouraged or feel endangered, we are to fix our hearts, our minds and our affections, not on what surrounds us but what sustains us.  The very life force of Jesus should flow through us because we are connected to Him and we will not only survive but we will triumph in this life.

Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV
    For You formed my inward parts;  You [a]covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I        am fearfully and wonderfully made;  Marvelous are Your works,  And that my soul knows very well.
 
The Bible tells us that we are made by God!   Yes, you are made by God! There are no accidents.  Some are tall.  Some are short.  Some are thin and others are "less thin".  Some have light skin and others have dark skin.  Like snowflakes and like our fingerprints, each of us is unique and has been fearfully and wonderfully made by the one true God!  God is the Creator.  He exists. He is not a product of man’s imagination.  He is real and He is the One who gives us our Hope.
 
In these verses from Psalm 139:13-14, King David was a unique man just as we are and he reminds us that
we are all unique.  God crafted you and there is no one else like you.  Another version of or translation of Psalm 139 says that God knitted you together.  Consider the implications of that image. Knitting is a careful, step- by- step method of creating something out of nothing.  This means that you are not just another mass-produced clone, rolling off the assembly line.  You are carefully planned, meticulously created and individually placed with love on this planet by the Master Artist, the Master Creator and Designer.  And the good news does not stop there!
 
Of all the created order only man is said to have been created in God’s image.  That means that we humans
are to be the “crown of creation".  Yes, that is what God had wanted before the Fall of Man in Genesis 3, when sin entered through the sin of Adam and Eve.  So thanks to them we now all have a sinful DNA.  We now have a broken image and that is what is referred to as the Fall of Man; that we have been separated from God.   Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  You see when Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled against God and did not listen to what He said, the image of God was marred, broken and cracked. 

Man was no longer what God intended him to be.  The consequences of sin was far more than the loss of being evicted from the Garden of Eden; it was the loss of the Image.  Because the image is broken man cannot fulfill God’s plan and purpose for him.  The image needed to be restored.  That is why we need to be born-again.  The image can be restored ONLY through Jesus Christ. (You can find this in Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4,Colossians 1:12-15, Colossians 3:9-10).  The Good News is that the image is renewed as we give ourselves to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit shapes us gradually into the image that we were supposed to be.   This is not a graven image.  We are NOT little gods, we were created to be like Jesus.  Our lives are to show others that we serve and love Jesus, the One who gave Himself for our sins.
 
We get so wrapped up in our culture and the way we think and we forget it is not about us and who we are and how great we are or who our parents were and it is not about how much money we have, etc. NO!  We are not the kind of work that just hangs in a gallery waiting to be admired.  The Bible tells us that we were created to do “good works”, that God has prepared for us to do.  So, we don’t have just artistic merit but we ALL have a purpose.  Remember that when you think you aren’t attractive enough, intelligent enough or physically gifted enough, remember who made you.  God made you carefully.  He made you lovingly.  He made you for a purpose.  You are attractive enough, smart enough and everything else enough to accomplish all that your Heavenly Father has planned for you in this life.  Now stop listening to all the naysayers and go and do what Our Lord has put in your heart to do for His Kingdom. 
 
King David willingly surrendered control of his life to God.  Yes, David submitted himself to God’s will and plans for his life.  BUT David was not perfect there were times that he stumbled, times when he sinned, times when he chose his own desires and wants.  Yet David repented at those times and returned back to the God he loved and served.  David was obedient and the Bible calls him “a man after God’s own heart“.
 
You may be reading this article and you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, but remember if we truly want to be a disciple of Christ, then we must choose to follow Him as Lord.  We must truly follow Him as our Master.  Remember all God had to say was “Let there be….” and there it was!

How do you handle challenges in your life when they rear their ugly heads?

Do you retreat and pout and play the “victim” and accuse everyone else stating that it is their fault? 

Or do you see it as an opportunity for God to show Himself strong?
 
In the verses found in Mark 6:30-44 we have the familiar passage where Jesus fed the 5,000 men besides women and children.  This means that it could have been anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 plus for dinner.  If you read the passage, you will see Jesus had been rejected at home, misunderstood by His nation, and He became the object of a king’s superstitious dread.  But Jesus continued to act with compassion, and He displayed His power in the feeding of the multitude.  In these verses it says, “Looking up to heaven” this reminds us that no matter how misunderstood we are on earth, Jesus maintained a secure relationship with His Father.  No doubts, and no rejections by mere men could affect the channel through which Christ’s power flowed.
 
It is the same with us.  We may be misunderstood.  We may even feel rejected by those closest to us.  But God can use every problem in our lives to move us to a new level.  Perhaps you don’t know the name Bernie Marcus but you probably have heard of his company- Home Depot. 

In 1978, Bernie was fired from a home improvement chain called Handy Dan.  That left him jobless and frustrated.  However, Bernie was faced with a whopper of a challenge.  Bernie was determined to succeed and he decided to not run away from the home improvement business defeated.  Instead, he learned from experience and decided he wasn’t going to work for anyone else ever again.  He began His own company.  Today, Home Depot is the largest Home-Improvement retailer in the world.
 
You see, God can use every challenge in our lives to thrust us to a new level.  But we have to have a good attitude and keep our eyes on the Lord.  Follow the example of Jesus when He was to feed 5000 men and thousands more women and children with only two fish and 5 small loaves of bread.  He did not get angry.  He did not complain to His Heavenly Father.  He did not see Himself as a victim.  He saw the situation as the beginning of a mighty miracle.  He prayed and God blessed that small lunch with enough food to everyone and to spare!
 
Whatever you are facing today God is well able to handle it.  Give it to Him and breathe a sigh of relief.  That thing, that situation that is challenging you is only an opportunity for God to show Himself strong on your behalf.  Success is only moments away.  Ask Him to help you!

In 2 Samuel 22:33 there is a verse that says: GOD IS MY STRENGTH AND POWER: AND HE MAKES MY WAY PERFECT (NKJV).
 
2 Samuel 22 is often referred to as King David’s last song.  It is a great lesson on God’s day-to-day deliverance and it is very similar to Psalm 18.   David is singing this song to the LORD.  In this portion of Scripture, he tells us that the LORD is the source of our strength.  Are we aware that our Lord is the source of our strength?  In this passage David praised the Lord for providing the resources to walk through this life victoriously.  The LORD always provided the resources that empowered David to conquer all the trials and temptations of life, including all the giants and the enemies, whatever their names were, who were attempting to defeat him.
 
David in the entire chapter reflects his awareness that all he was and all he had become was a gracious gift of God.  King David’s last song or psalm reflects the fact that GOD is faithful in keeping HIS promises to bless those who keep the “ways of the Lord.”  In verses 29 -37, David lists the wonderful resources provided by the Lord, but today I just want to concentrate on one – verse 33.  The Lord gives us HIS presence to act as a shield around about us for those who trust and take refuge in HIM. The Lord gave strength to David and made his way perfect in the sense of being safe and secure.  Our Lord provided a perfect way of escape for him when facing the enemies who were trying to defeat and destroy him. It did not matter if it was a giant, a king, an army or some simple trial or temptation. The LORD was his strength and power. 

Well, you may be thinking that is nice for David, but how does that apply to our lives?
 
Let me give you an example: As a young college athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee saw her commitment and hard work pay off after capturing a USA championship.  If Jackie had allowed herself to be hindered by physical ailments, her dreams of future success would have been lost.  The recurring pain of a pulled hamstring once forced her to withdraw from the world championships.  Another time, her asthmatic conditions were so bad that she had to compete while wearing an allergen -filtering mask. However, neither of these conditions stopped this athlete from pursuing her goal.  By the time she retired from active competition in 1998, Jackie Joyner-Kersee had spent more than a decade winning championships, setting world records and earning Olympic gold medals.
 
So, you may be saying I am no gold medalist, I am no Jackie Joyner-Kersee,  I have no talents or abilities. BUT, if you are a Believer you do have gifts and talents given to you by God at the time of your salvation.  Perhaps Our Lord has put some desire or specific goal in your mind that you would like to do something for His Kingdom but you have felt that you can’t do it.  You see, Our Lord believes that you can do everything that HE has called you to do.  Yes, He truly cares about you. 

As we go through life it is wise to imagine that Jesus is watching you because He really is WATCHING YOU!  When we pray He is really LISTENING carefully and He is really LISTENING constantly.  If Our Lord has given you a desire to achieve a specific goal you can be sure that He has provided you with the strength and power and the ability to accomplish it in the face of any OR ALL obstacles.  So go and do it!  Right now is a perfect time to step out for the Lord!   Don't waste any more time...JUST DO IT, HE WILL GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH!

If you have ever been to a church in your lifetime there is one word that I am sure you have heard and that is….FAITH.  Why do I say that?  The Bible teaches that faith is the key to everything for the Christian.

• By faith we come to Christ.
  
• By faith we live our Christian lives with joy and gladness.
  
• Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
  
• Faith is the core of our Christian living.

 
You see, Jesus Christ is the message of the Gospel. The Gospel centers on the person of Christ.  It is all about HIS sinless life, the atonement of our sins, and the supernatural resurrection. He is the center of the Gospel, so He is the center of our faith.  The fact is we are totally unable to save ourselves.  True Biblical faith is never a work we perform because we are somehow good and worthy. True Biblical faith means rejecting all of our works and trusting completely in Christ for everything.  Perhaps we should look at faith as resting one’s whole weight on God.
 
You see, we believe that we can do all things but of ourselves we can do nothing.

Have you gotten to that point in your life yet?  Where you have put all of your trust on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and given up your control for His control.  Faith is not just something by which we enter into a right relationship with God, faith is also what we live with every single day. It is not that we come to Christ by faith and then we live by good works.  It isn’t something we put on Sunday and then the rest of the week we go by what we “feel” or “think”.  No it is continual faith.  It is progressive in that we grow-up spiritually and realize that we have no control but He does.
 
George Mueller was known for his powerful prayer. He is referred to as a man of faith.  In the course of his ministry to the orphans of England, he never asked for financial assistance from men - only God...and he constantly received what was needed to the penny.
 
Once while on his way to speak in Quebec for an engagement, on the deck of the ship that was to carry him to his destination, he informed the captain that he needed to be in Quebec by Saturday afternoon. As the captain related the story, he said "’It is impossible, do you know how dense this fog is?’"
 
"’No,’ he replied, ’my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of life. I have never broken an engagement in 57 years;  let us go down into the chart room and pray.’  He knelt down and he prayed one of the most simple prayers. When he had finished I (the Captain)  was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. “As you do not believe He will answer, and as I believe He has, there is no need for you whatever to pray about it.’
 
"I looked at him and George Mueller said, ’Captain, I have known my Lord for 57 yrs.and there has never been a single day when I have failed to get an audience with the King.’
 
“Get up, Captain, and open the door and you will find that the fog has gone. "I got up and the fog indeed was gone, and on that Saturday afternoon George Mueller kept his promised engagement.

God wants us rich in spiritual things.  He wants us to grow spiritually.  Unless we grow up in Christ you now what happens?  We remain childish and petty wanting all His attention all the time and wanting to be amused. But the Bible reminds us that faith is to become a way of life for us. Faith is the principle of life for the believer.

The Bible calls all of us to trust in Christ through Faith.  We are called to believe in Christ.

• Do you believe?
  
• Do you truly trust Christ?
  
• Have you experienced, in the Spirit, that Christ is your Savior?
  
• Does your heart call out to Him in childlike trust and faith?

Churches and perhaps I should say Believers, today have forgotten that God is our Strength.  We have forgotten that God is our Redeemer.  We have forgotten that Prayer is where our power is at, and as a result we are dying and dwindling spiritually and we are declining in doing what is God’s purpose for our lives; God’s passion and God’s power. 

God is looking for a people who will seek Him and trust and have faith in what the Bible teaches that we will not only read about faith but that we will put faith into practice in our lives.  Everyone has cell phones today and everyone has apps, but you have to apply them to get the information that you need. 

Today, let’s apply the Word of God to our lives and start putting it into action so that others will become jealous of the things of the Lord.

​One of the basic claims made by Christians is that God is alive and HE wants to have a relationship with us.  We all know that we cannot have a relationship with someone without communication.  We need to communicate with our Lord just the way a tennis player plays tennis.  One hits the ball over the net then waits for the other one to respond.  It cannot be a one-sided discussion.  What do our prayers sound like?  Lord I want this, Lord I want that. bless me Lord,  bless my family.  No, that is not a two-way communication.  We need to learn to listen. 
 
Years ago I heard a story about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.   When he was president he said he got tired of saying the usual things at all the White House receptions.  So one evening he decided to find out if anybody was paying attention to what he was saying.  As each person came up to him and shook his hand he would smile and say, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” 
 
Person after person greeted him and would respond with, “How lovely,” or “That’s nice.”  It was confirmed what FDR believed, no one was listening to him.  Finally, a foreign diplomat shook his hand and once again FDR said, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.”  The foreign diplomat looked a little shocked but leaned in to the president and said softly, “I’m sure she had it coming to her.”  Finally someone did listen to what the president was saying.
 
Some of you may be saying; How can I know when God is telling me to do something?  We have several venues available to us.  The first and most important is prayer.  Prayer is especially critical when you are unsure of God’s will for your life.
 
Another way is through God’s Word.  The Bible from Genesis to Revelation are all examples for us to follow and understand what God wants from us.  Remember God never contradicts himself.  He will never ask us to do something contradictory to His Word.  He will never ask us to sin.  He will never ask us to do something Jesus Christ would not do. 
 
We have the passage of Gideon in the Bible who was not sure that God REALLY wanted him to do something he asked him to do.   So, in order to be sure he asked God for a sign to confirm for him.  Yes, you can ask God for a sign but be specific.  That is referred to as Putting out a Fleece (Judges 6).
 
As Christians we also have the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is and what is not God’s will for our lives.  John 16:13 says that the Spirit of truth…will guide you into all truth.  That means that sometimes we Christians get agitated when we are trying to make a decision but the agitation in our spirit letting us know, warning us,  that we are on the wrong track.  Or perhaps when we are trying to make a decision the Holy Spirit will encourage us and we feel at peace when we are leaning toward the right decision.
 
Sometimes God will change a situation without us even realizing He has acted. Isaiah 58:11 says the Lord will guide you always.  The Lord always prepares us.  He never does things half-way.  As Christians there is only one voice that matters.  It is not my voice, it is not your voice, it is not the voice of the past or the voice of the future.  The only voice that matters is the voice of God.  May we begin to see things from God’s perspective.  If we call Jesus our Lord then it is our responsibility to obey His commands, to do what He wants us to do.  Jesus always prayed to His Father; Not my will but His will.
 
Sometimes God may speak to us in an audible voice.  My father was in WWII and was stationed in Italy.  My father did not speak much about his years in the war.  I have heard this from many others because the war was difficult for them to process.  But one thing I remembered him talking about was one night his unit was preparing for the coming of the Germans into the hills.  They were told to take cover wherever they could.  So, my father and his friend went into a barn thinking it was safe.  While he was in the barn, my father said he was praying, and then all of a sudden he heard his name and the words:  get out of the barn now!  He told his friend, we have to get out of the barn and into the house NOW.  He told his friend but his friend would not move, he said I am staying here in the barn where it is safer.  My father said I am going into the house.  And within 5 minutes a bomb fell in the area and destroyed the barn and his friend.  He never told that story without crying and thanking God for His protection.

The relationship that God wants to have with us is rooted in love. John 3:16 is the perfect example of God’s perfect love for you: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. No other verse in the Bible summarizes God’s relationship with humanity and His ultimate love for us. It tells us that the love God has for us and the extent of that love is so great that He sacrificed His only Son on our behalf. God’s love for us inspires our love for God.

Many of us have heard someone say “I want to be close to God” or “I feel far from Jesus” or have even said some of these things ourselves.  We say these things because we have been led to believe our relationship with Jesus is based on proximity – a sliding scale of near and far based on faithfulness of our spiritual devotion. But a relationship with Jesus requires more than just being close with Him. Jesus longs to become perfectly one with you. God takes residence in us, invites us to die to ourselves and become a new creation in Him. He invites us into an intimate relationship with Him: union with Christ. Union with Christ refers to relationship between the believer and Jesus Christ. There are countless passages throughout the Bible that reveal that believers are joined in Christ: We are the branches and Jesus is the vine (John 15:5); Jesus is the head and we are His body (1 Corinthians 6:15-19); Christ is the foundation and we are living stones in the foundation (1 Peter 2:4-5). Nothing is more basic or central to knowing and enjoying God than union with Christ. It’s at the heart of our Christian faith. Jesus Christ is dwelling in us and because of this, Jesus is available to us anytime and in anyplace because we believe.

God desires to welcome you into His eternal family as His glorified child. It’s important that you make it a priority to grow in your relationship with Him. Having a personal relationship with God begins the moment we realize our need for Him, admit that we fall short as sinners, and in faith receive Jesus Christ as Savior. As soon as we become children of God, we receive the Holy Spirit, who will begin to work on our hearts. Include God in your daily life. Pray to Him, read His Word daily and reflect on verses in Scripture in an effort to know Him better. Trusting in God to get us through each day and believing that He is the true sustainer of life is how we can not only begin, but also sustain a personal relationship with Him.

Sometimes it is hard to hear God’s voice because we are listening to public opinion and to many other popular voices.  Some listen to their own feelings, desires, passions and their own choices.  Sometimes people listen to every wind of doctrine that comes along.   Then there are others who listen to only new revelations or some wild experience someone has had.  Some listen to psychics, read horoscopes, Ouija boards and tarot cards and join wiccan groups.   Some listen to those who tickle their ears and tell them only what they want to hear and what is pleasant to consider. 

But God is looking for those who are listening for His call.     Are you one of them?

In the Bible there are many phrases that appear over and over again.  Those words are there to remind us of a truth to which we need to hold on.  Many times we need to be reminded of this, we need the reassurance that the Lord is with us! 
 
For example, in the Book of Genesis chapter 37-39 we read the story of Joseph.  Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery to the Egyptians because they hated him, they called him the dreamer.  They really wanted to kill him. but God had a different plan for Joseph’s life.  As you read through Genesis 39 you will see some eight times in this chapter in one way or the other it is said that the Lord was with Joseph.  The number eight in the Bible refers to Resurrection.  So that phrase tells us that whatever happened to Joseph, no matter how adverse things seemed at the moment, a Resurrection was coming.  
 
There are many examples in the Bible that confirm this for us and I am quite sure many reading this can also confirm the times that the Lord has been with us.  But there is an interesting example that occurred in the early years of the sixteenth century, a young adventurer named Nicolas Herman left his parents' home near Lorraine, France, to join the French army. Wounded in war, he returned home to recuperate and thus began a process of soul searching that led to Christian commitment.

His quest for closeness to God first led him to live his life as a hermit. He found that unfulfilling, so he eventually joined a Carmelite monastery where he was assigned to menial duties in the kitchen. Kneading bread might truly seem an unholy task to an ex-soldier, but Nicolas soon found his home in the labor of the kitchen.

In later years, this "Kitchen Saint," as Brother Lawrence was called, would write about how his soul discovered intimacy with God by prayerfully inviting God into each and every assigned task, every conversation, and every relationship.   He once wrote that he felt nearer to God in the sanctuary of the kitchen than in the liturgy of the chapel.  The experience changed his life and those around him. It was said of him, "He pretended nothing, was compliant with everyone and tended to treat his brothers and friends amicably without being pretentious."   His written reflection, titled The Practice of the Presence of God is today considered a spiritual classic.   It continues to change lives.
 
What does the title "practicing the presence of God" mean?   You see that when times get tough and the journey gets rough we do not avoid community nor break away from others, and we don't walk away from the church; we seek it out, we talk it out, and we work it out. When times get tough and the chaos overwhelms us and caves in around us we do not run from God but look for God's hand at work. We run toward God.  We do not abandon each other but we come together -- to worship.  We sing, we pray, we praise, and we intercede on behalf of each other.

What would our daily lives be like if we, like Brother Lawrence, "practiced the presence of God" in the here and now? If we sought daily to do God's will "on earth as in heaven"? Well, it would be heaven on earth, would it not?

Our best example is always Jesus.  The continual presence of God, the Father and the Holy Spirit was always with Jesus as the Son of Man; and it empowered and enabled Him to accomplish His supernatural ministry with signs, wonders, healings and miracles.  In doing this Jesus brought great deliverance and victory to multitudes who were under the power of the evil one. Jesus did it because God was with Him.  Remember, if you are a believer, the presence of God is with us and in us and it empowers us and we step out in our ministries.  In John 15:5 Jesus said,  “without Me you can do nothing.”   But with His presence in our lives, we can do all things He leads and encourages us to do.
 
When we read in Exodus we see that God placed Moses in leadership over the nation of Israel, to lead them out of Egyptian bondage and to take them to the Promised Land.  Moses was wise enough to know that one thing was absolutely needed, and that was the presence of God with him
 
Moses was so bold to say to God, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here,” to the land of Canaan.  That Presence of God is what enabled Moses to persevere some 40 years with a grumbling, ungrateful, complaining large group of people.
 
What about those of us today who live in the New Testament times, we have been given the same promise in Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us, “Never will I leave you.”  You see, while Jesus was on this earth He lived with the continual awareness of the Father’s and the Holy Spirit’s presence.  That is the same thing we have promised to us.  Hold on to that reassuring promise that the Lord is with us!