Presence or Position: Which do you prefer? – Part 2

Presence in the Greek means Parousia referring to the arrival of someone or an official visit. For us as Christians, the presence matters, or should I say, at least should matter more than anything else. The presence also refers to the glory of God; the Bible referring it to the very essence of His being. His presence is what makes Him who He is. He is no different from His presence or His glory. I sense before this discourse is over, we would be talking about ‘Leadership in Righteousness.’ Every leader in God carries the presence of God. The Bible says, “But you will receive power (dynamite ability), when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Read Acts 1:8 (ESV).

Here, we see authentic presence having the ability to effect changes in our immediate circle. And to every Christian, the presence of God to authenticate the position is within. We do not have to whip up the presence to make us feel important; we are already important because of what is resident in us. So the question now becomes, how do we walk in the reality of what we already have? When there is darkness, what does one do.? Turn on the light, therefore, we would be turning on the light of God’s word.  Whenever I study the story of King David and Saul, I am always fascinated by the insight. Recall when you were at school, we were always told to compare and contrast, hence we would be comparing and contrasting from a Biblical perspective leaders in the Bible who had position and presence, including those who lacked it.

Before contrasting and comparing David and Saul, I want to quickly talk about Solomon; David’s son. “Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord His GOD WAS WITH him and MADE him exceedingly great…, “Now Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of Yours? God said to Solomon, “Since this is YOUR HEART’S desire, and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life, but for WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE to govern My people over whom I have made you king, therefore, WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE will be given you. And I will give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” Read 2 Chronicles 1:1-12. Ladies and gentlemen, Solomon coveted the presence of God more than the position. I believe Solomon understood; a king without the presence of God; to undertake any tasks was going to be painful. If Solomon was a positional leader, I suppose, his response to God’s question would probably have been different. A positionally minded person would have asked for things that would bring self gratification and promotion. When you have the presence people take note, and want to hear what you have to say. The Queen of Sheba said to Solomon, “…Thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard,” Read 1 Kings 10:7 (KJV). When someone has the presence of God working in them, the world cannot help but to pay attention. I strongly believe, God endued us with His presence, such that the world will take notice of us. The Bible says, “You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see.” Read Matthew 5:14 (TLB). The presence of God is what causes you and I to glow; it is not our educational papers or qualifications, Oh no, a million times no. God’s presence brings you to the fore, for His glory and honor. Hallelujah, glory to God. The Bible says these beautiful words, “And WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE shall be the stability of thy times…” Read Isaiah 33:6. The presence of God is what gives us the X-factor, above all else. Listen to this amazing narrative from the Bible, saying, “Those who came to hear Solomon’s great wisdom all brought to him an appropriate present, doing so on a yearly basis.” Read 1 Kings 10:25. The presence of God has a way of attracting and directing favor in your direction all year round, such that people from all over the world will come to you, just to hear what you are saying.

Dearly beloved, this is impossible with man, but not with God. For the Bible says, Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Read Matthew 19:26 (NLT). In other words, the degree to which you can believe (act of the word), is the degree to which you can walk in. Selah – pause and calmly think. You might be wondering, how can this thing be? Well, the Bible says, The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you…” Read Like 1:35 (NLT). Beloved, it is not about you, but about the “power of God working in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” It is God’s good pleasure for us to walk not only from a place of position, but most importantly, from a place of His presence.

I really did say, I was only going to speak a little bit about Solomon in the Bible, but here we are. “His word burns in my heart like fire. It’s like a fire in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” Read Jeremiah 20:9. My desire is for us to be enlightened, enriched and empowered, and I thank my heavenly Father for His exceedingly abundant grace upon us, as we continue to gain insight, wisdom, knowledge and understanding in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

We write You read Be encouraged.