Spiritual Presence Through Powerful Relationships

Unseen by many, spiritual battles are all around us.  The goal of the enemy is to ruin our faith, to move us away from a connected life with Jesus.  Testings, temptations, hurt and anger, the list goes on as to how we are pulled and pushed away from a life giving relationship with the Lord.

I've had a few of these over my lifetime.  I know what it is like to wonder if God is anywhere let alone here.  I know what it is like to begin to question this choice to follow Jesus.  I am aware of being so busy that my heart shifts to another focus and I lose my passion and then wonder if it was real in the past.

Chapter 10 of our reading of "Breakthrough Prayer" Cymbala describes how to endure these seasons.  The strategy?  Spiritual Presence through powerful relationships!  As I have had seasons of wondering what was going on, wondering where was God, I am one who has seen the Lord show up in the faces and voices of people who love me and love Him.  Sometimes it was just a phone call but the call would carry a sense of spiritual power.  The Lord was using a familiar voice to speak to my heart!  Their care was actually God in the flesh showing up in my life.  I've had people call "You've been on my mind lately."  Or, "The Lord stirred me to call you."

Amazing how the Lord is moving not just in my life but in the lives of others for me!  Yes, there may be moments of wonder, questions that leave my faith a bit shaky but always the Lord sends a love note, a call, a card.

At GraceRiver we speak of 2 values, spiritual presence and powerful relationships.  Spiritual presence creates powerful relationships as the Lord stirs us to care for each other, pray for each other, serve each other.  If you have powerful relationships look a bit deeper.  It is likely the relationships are powerful because the Lord has stirred life in the persons around you.  In the middle of "it", in the season when spiritual presence seems nonexistent look for the Lord to show up in powerful relationships!  He will send people your way, count on it!!