Gen. 39 v 1-6: Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelite’s who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favour in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had, he put under his authority. So it was from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus, he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

The presence of the Lord makes a lot of difference in the life of a believer. God’s presence makes you to be unique and different from others and the world. This is what happened in the life of Joseph in Egypt while he was living with Potiphar, and while he was in prison, too (Gen. 39 v 21-23). God’s presence even singled him out again while he was before Pharaoh (Gen. 41 v 38-39). This ought to be true in your life too as a child of God. Hence the reason why you need to value God’s presence in your life is because the presence of the Lord is your Most Treasured Possession. It’s something you need to cherish and protect jealously. Others may leave you but just make sure God’s presence does not leave you.

In my last lesson with you, I began to share some vital truths about God’s presence that you need to know if you will really walk in the fullness of his presence. In today’s lesson, I will be sharing the remaining truths with you, so off we go!

VITAL TRUTHS ABOUT GOD’S PRESENCE:

1. The presence of God can increase or decrease. It all depends on what you do with it or how you handle it. There are things that you can do to provoke or develop the degree of his presence in your life and vice versa. This is why you need to understand the workings of God’s presence (Judges 14 v 16, 19)).
2. There is a general sense in which the presence of God is with someone and there is a specific sense in which his presence is with someone too. For instance, when Jesus promised to be with us in (Matt. 28 v 20), this is a general promise to every child of God but it’s kind of different when you embark on things without God’s approval or leading. This is what I mean by God being with you in a specific sense (Ps. 37 v 23-24).
3. God’s presence manifests in different ways. It could manifest as a pillar of cloud or fire (Exo. 13 v 21-22). It could also manifest as wind or as a dove as we can see in the scriptures. It also manifested as the hand of the Lord to Elijah in (1Kings 18 v 46). God is the one who, however, determines how he chooses to manifest. Our responsibility is to believe him and follow his directives in whichever way he manifests.

Precious child of God, the presence of the Lord is your portion and heritage. It’s something you have access to and you were meant to enjoy all the days of your life. So now is the time for you to begin to experience the fullness of his presence.

Other Scriptural References: (2Pet. 3 v 18; Ezek. 47 v 1-5; Acts 4 v 33; Exo. 14 v 19, 24; Ps. 78 v 14; Eze. 1 v 4, 26-28: 3 v 23; 2Chro. 5 v 13-14: 7 v 1; 1Kings 18 v 38).

Prayer for Today: Father God, I thank you for the heritage and gift of access into your presence that I enjoy in Jesus’ name, amen.

CONFESSION: The blessings of God’s presence is my heritage. My life and work is a reflection of his glory and presence. His presence speaks for me and at work in my life. I am a carrier of his glory. Therefore, I manifest his presence everywhere I go because I live and walk in his presence. I am a blessing to my generation and the world. Glory be to God for his presence works mightily in and through me in Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Yemi Adeoti

Yemi Adeoti is a pastor, teacher, life coach and mentor & also a prolific writer.