Energised by His Presence – Part 1

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Learn how dwelling in God’s presence strengthens your daily walk and enables you to bring His love into your family, church and community.

Energised by His Presence – Part 1

In Our Life

Learn how dwelling in God’s presence strengthens your daily walk and enables you to bring His love into your family, church and community.

Introduction

A close relationship with Almighty God shapes the way we relate to Him and to the people around us. In this message, we will consider how dwelling in His presence energises us to live as He instructs. His presence should influence the rest of our lives. What we receive from Him is meant to become visible in our attitudes, decisions, relationships and service.

The Christian journey can be challenging. There are times when we need strength to keep going, wisdom to make a decision or patience to love someone well. God invites us to draw from His presence as we walk with Him.

Drawing Our Strength from His Presence

To be energised is to receive strength, power and vitality for the task before us. Spiritually, we are speaking about the help that comes from God: His power, authority, wisdom, direction and the strengthening work of the Holy Spirit.

Our abilities and experience have their place, but they cannot supply everything we need for the Christian life. Skill cannot produce a humble heart by itself. Willpower alone cannot sustain the love God calls us to show. We need our heavenly Father, we need Jesus, and we need the Holy Spirit’s help.

God’s presence is already within His people through the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 6:19 reminds believers that their bodies are His temple. We need to become attentive to His presence, respond to His Word and draw upon the help He gives. This is a relationship we live in each day.

A Lesson from the Robot Vacuum

Our robot vacuum gave us a simple illustration. It was meant to act like a little household servant, carrying out the task given to it. It worked twice, and then it malfunctioned. It lost power, would not charge and could not be used for a while.

Eventually, we contacted the makers. They gave us instructions about the problem, and we were able to sort it out. Once its power was restored, it could function again.

We also learnt the importance of keeping it within range of its docking station. It needed to be fully charged and to respond to the instructions I gave it. Having a task to perform was not enough; it needed the power to carry it out.

That illustration helps us think about our dependence on God. When we struggle, we need to turn to our Creator, listen to His direction and receive His help. We can become so occupied with what we are trying to achieve that we overlook the relationship from which our strength comes.

God’s power does not run out like a battery. We are the ones who grow weary and need to return our attention to Him. He calls us to remain close, responsive and willing to follow His leading.

Returning to Our Creator

We see different responses to failure in Scripture. King Saul’s position and authority could not sustain him when he rejected God’s direction. In First Samuel 15, Samuel confronted his disobedience. Saul admitted that he had feared the people and listened to them. He needed to yield to God rather than allow other voices and his own agenda to govern him.

Peter also failed. He denied Jesus, despite his earlier confidence that he would remain faithful. Yet Jesus restored him and called him to care for His people. Peter learnt that bold claims and personal determination were not enough. As an apostle empowered by the Holy Spirit, he became a preacher of the gospel and a witness to Christ.

Paul had persecuted believers, imprisoned them and supported their being put to death. He later described these actions in Acts 26:9–11. When he encountered Jesus, he was humbled and redirected. The man who had opposed the church became an apostle who carried the gospel to the Gentiles.

Peter and Paul learnt to surrender their own ways and follow Christ. Their failures did not have to become the end of their usefulness. God’s grace brought them into lives of faithful service as they depended on Him.

We need that same humility. We cannot live as God’s children while protecting our own agenda, imagining ourselves to be spiritual superheroes or appointing ourselves judge and jury over others. We need to listen to our Creator and be led by the Holy Spirit.

Bondservants Not Lone Rangers

Colossians 3:22–23 (NKJV)

“Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,”

Paul was addressing bondservants within the households of the ancient world. His words call for sincere service before God, rather than effort performed only when someone is watching. The principle challenges our attitudes towards the work and responsibilities entrusted to us.

We serve the Lord through the way we carry out ordinary duties. Honesty, diligence and willingness matter, even when our work is unnoticed. A servant’s heart grows as we allow God to shape our motives and strengthen us for what He asks.

Mark 9:35 (NKJV)

“And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.””

Jesus taught His disciples that greatness involves humble service. We need the Holy Spirit’s help to live this way, because self-interest can so easily guide our choices. His presence strengthens us to care for people and serve beyond what is convenient.

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Mammon refers to wealth or riches. Jesus warns against allowing money to become a competing master. As we draw near to God, we need to consider what governs our priorities. Our loyalty belongs to Him, and our resources and ambitions should come under His direction.

Returning to the Source

Anything that depends on a supply of energy needs that supply to continue. One charge will not keep a device functioning indefinitely. In our spiritual lives, we likewise need an ongoing relationship with the One who strengthens us.

Even Jesus made time to pray and be with the Father. Mark 1:35 describes Him going to a solitary place early in the morning to pray. Luke 6:12 records an occasion when He went to a mountain and continued all night in prayer. His life shows the importance of communion with the Father amid the demands of ministry.

At Kalamunda, worship, fellowship and encouragement from our brothers and sisters help strengthen us. Most importantly, we turn together towards the presence of God. We receive from Him so that we can carry His light and love to the people He places alongside us and sends us to serve.

Worship needs the engagement of our hearts. Singing the words of a song while remaining closed to God’s direction will not produce the response He desires. As we worship, let us turn our attention to Him, listen and surrender. We want to encounter Him and allow His truth to become active in our lives.

This relationship continues beyond a church gathering. We can make room for prayer, Scripture and worship throughout the week. When we recognise that we are becoming weary, distracted or driven by our own agenda, we can return to the Lord and receive His help.

David Learning to Dwell in God’s Presence

David’s life included faith, desire, discipline, struggles and repeated failures. Through these experiences, he learnt about God’s love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. He learnt to return to the Lord and find his value, identity, purpose and strength in Him.

We can know many facts about God and still need to learn how to trust Him personally. Biblical knowledge should shape the way we live. As we encounter His faithfulness, seek His forgiveness and obey His Word, what we know becomes part of our lived relationship with Him.

Our heavenly Father wants us to know Him and be strengthened by His presence. He desires that His love should flow through our lives into our families and communities. The Psalms give us language for this trust and dependence.

Dwelling Under the Shadow of the Almighty

Psalm 91:1–2 (NKJV)

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.””

To dwell is to remain or make our home. The psalm invites us to live in ongoing dependence on God, finding refuge in Him. A fortress is a place of protection, and a refuge is somewhere we can turn for shelter and help.

The picture of His shadow expresses closeness and protection. We are invited to remain attentive to Him, ready to respond when the Holy Spirit leads. Let us make God our source of strength and empowerment in everyday life.

The Lord Is the Strength of My Life

Psalm 27:1 (NKJV)

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”

David’s confidence was grounded in the Lord. God gave him light to guide him, salvation to trust in and strength for the challenges before him. His assurance came from knowing whom he could depend upon.

We will still face difficulties, but we can bring them to the Lord rather than allow fear to direct our response. Our own cleverness and wisdom have limits. God can give us peace and courage as we draw near to Him and follow His direction.

A Very Present Help in Trouble

Psalm 46:1 (NKJV)

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

This assurance meets us within trouble. God is present to help us through it. We do not need to wait until every difficulty has passed before turning to Him for strength.

Are we beginning to see the picture? We can move through life struggling or merely surviving, while overlooking the help God offers. As we surrender to Him, we learn to live with renewed purpose, freedom, peace and vitality. His presence strengthens us to persevere and serve faithfully.

David’s failures remind us how costly it can be to rely on our own ways. Let us learn from his experience and draw near to God. As we dwell in His presence, we too can speak of His goodness and faithfulness.

Jesus Desires Us to Be with Him

Jesus also expressed His desire for His people to be with Him. Listen to part of His prayer to the Father.

John 17:24 (NKJV excerpt)

“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am…”

In the full verse, Jesus speaks of His people beholding His glory and of the Father’s love for Him before the foundation of the world. His prayer draws our attention to the eternal fellowship He desires for those who belong to Him.

Jesus invites us to share in the love and fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Through Him, we are brought into relationship with God, and we learn to live in the presence and help of His Spirit.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

Dwelling in God’s presence also brings responsibility. The blessing we receive is meant to reach others. God’s purposes for His people have always extended beyond their own benefit. We receive His love and strength so that we can become a blessing to those around us.

Jesus brought the Father’s presence and love to us by coming in the flesh. His life showed us what it means to serve. He calls us to carry that love into the relationships and opportunities He gives us.

Matthew 20:25–28 (NKJV)

“But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.””

Jesus directs His followers towards service rather than the pursuit of status or control. He also gives Himself as the example. A ransom is the price paid to secure release; His words point to the saving sacrifice He would make for us.

Let us return to the instruction we considered earlier.

Mark 9:35 (NKJV)

“And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.””

Mark 9:36 (NKJV excerpt)

“Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.”

The verse continues by describing Jesus taking the child in His arms. In verse 37, He teaches that receiving a child in His name means receiving Him and the One who sent Him. This gives a practical picture of the humble service He had just described.

We can apply this by caring for people who cannot offer us status, influence or resources in return. Children need patient attention and care. Other people may also need support while having little ability to repay it. Their value is not measured by what they can contribute to us.

Naturally, we may find it easier to remain close to people who give us friendship, security or useful connections. Jesus stretches our love beyond those benefits. His presence empowers us to support someone because that person matters to God.

Jesus Our Example of Love and Service

Jesus loved us when we could do nothing to earn His saving grace. We have nothing He needs for His own advancement or success. Yet He calls His disciples friends, and Hebrews speaks of Him as unashamed to call His people brethren. Our love, worship and obedience are grateful responses to what He has given.

We may not fully appreciate what His sacrifice cost Him. He gave Himself for our salvation, bearing the cost of love through the cross. How did He live out that complete surrender during His earthly life? He lived in fellowship with the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38 (NKJV)

“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

We affirm that Jesus is God, and that He truly became human, experiencing human emotions, challenges and suffering. In His earthly life, He prayed, obeyed the Father and ministered in the power of the Spirit. His saving work is unique, and His life also shows us the pattern of dependence and love we are called to follow.

God’s heart is for us to know the empowering of His presence and bring that blessing to others. As we grow in intimacy with Him, let us enjoy His presence, remain close to Him and be ready to serve. The strength He gives enables us to carry His love into the world around us.

A Gentle Moment of Reflection

This message invites us to consider where we are drawing our strength. We have seen the need to return to our Creator, surrender our own agenda and remain attentive to His presence. We have also seen that the strength He gives has a purpose: to help us live faithfully and love others well.

· Where am I relying on my own strength instead of seeking God’s help and direction?

· How can I make room for a more attentive relationship with Him during the week?

· Who has God placed near me who needs care without being able to give something in return?

Bring these questions before the Lord in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen your heart, guide your decisions and help you serve with sincerity. Pray for your family, church and wider community, that His love may become visible through the way we live.

Let us remain close to the source of our strength. As we dwell in His presence, we can receive what we need for the journey and become a blessing to those He entrusts to our care.

Continuing the Journey – Part 2

In Part 1, we have considered how God’s presence strengthens our daily lives and enables us to serve others with His love. In Part 2, we will consider our dependence on the Holy Spirit in spiritual warfare, the breaking down of strongholds and bringing freedom to those held captive. As we continue, the foundation remains the same: we need the empowering presence of God.

Ps Salome

Living Faith Community Church

Ps Salome is a leader dedicated to sharing the life-transforming message of Jesus Christ. Her heart is to help you move from a place of uncertainty into a confident, biblical expectation that is rooted in God's deep love for you.

"God invites us to live with hope—not because life is easy, but because He is faithful."