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 I bring you New Year blessings and greetings from the throne room of God. It is a good practice to meditate on God’s promises for every New Year. All God’s promises are yes and amen. The day you came into union with Christ, every time you read and claim a promise from the Bible, Christ in you will shout yes and amen to you. That’s why He is called the Amen (2.Cor.1:2 & Rev.3:14).

 For this year God inspired me to bring you a promise from Isaiah 43:1-4.

Here God gives us three main promises for His redeemed people. Everyone who is created, formed, redeemed and called by Jehovah God has the right to claim this promise (Isa.43:1). If you belong to God, this promise is written for you.

Maybe your past life was miserable and painful, but this promise is for you to claim now. God gave these precious promises to His Old Covenant people. He gave Jacob for plunder and Israel to the robbers because they did not walk in His ways and were not obedient. So the people suffered enormously.

See the first words, “But now thus says the Lord”. When God says ‘but’, it means He puts a break and takes another route altogether. Here it means, you suffered My displeasure, but now I reveal My greater plan for you. I redeemed you from all your tortures and called you for My great purpose. I have eternally decided to be with you and live in you all the days of your life. From this promise, we derive three promises He gives for us to ponder and experience.

1. This is the year of Presence manifested
2. This is the year of Passing through
3. This is the year of Preservation

Let us meditate on these three promises. The greatest promise in the entire Bible for me is, ‘God with us’. This is enough to erase all our fears of the future. People wonder, what would be happen this year? What kind of storms we will have to go through? What will happen in the political world? The world is panic-stricken with such anxious questions. But for a child of God, there is absolutely no reason to be perplexed or to be anxious.

What matters now is not how this year would be, but who is with you this year. It is not what kind of storm you will face, it is who is travelling with you in your boat. It is not how the waves and billows hit you; it is who walks with you, walks over all the waves that come against you. It is not what mountains rise and threaten you; it’s the Presence that melts the mountains like wax. It is not who rules you; it is who rules from Heaven over all governments. Remember, you are hooked up with such a great God. Remember, your spirit and God’s Spirit have totally blended as one spirit.

This year, I want you to practice the Presence of God throughout every day and throughout the whole year. This comes by constant practice and renewal of your mind. The last words Jesus uttered to us were, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt.28:20). Wow! The Creator of the entire universe is with you every day, every hour and every minute of your life, till the world ends or till your life in this world ends. Did He lie to you? Did He put any condition here? If under the Old Covenant, God was with His people when they walked through the rivers and the floods, how much more now since He became one with you in this New Covenant. Think about it! Decide to practice His Presence in your life as first priority this year.

Thank God, I try to practice His Presence as much as possible. This always releases His energy in me. I can boldly say that this is one of the secrets of my longevity in ministry. In the business of your schedule, just tune your mind to His indwelling Presence. The more you set the Lord before you, in you and around you in your thoughts, even in your mental picture, the more you will feel the joy of His Presence. Bible saints practiced it and prospered (Gen.39:2-5,9,21-23). All God’s prophets enjoyed the Presence of God with them, confirming their words (1.Sam.3:19;2:21).

All the courage and boldness of the Early Apostles was because of this God-inside consciousness. When Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter, Peter knew they actually lied against the Holy Spirit. He totally identified Himself with the third Person of the Godhead. When Paul faced lots of persecutions and oppositions, God reminded him of His ever abiding Presence.

When Paul was ministering at Corinth, they opposed and blasphemed him heavily. When he was perturbed by it, God spoke to him in a night vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not keep silent; For I am with you. No one will attack you to hurt you, for I have many people in this city.” Because God was with him, he could speak boldly and continue his ministry for eighteen more months. This year, God is calling His Church to make practicing His Presence their priority.

God’s saints used many methods to practice this Presence. Pastor Paul Yongghi Cho put an extra chair in his pulpit for the Holy Spirit. He practiced His Presence by saying out loud, “Good morning, Holy Spirit!” When you are extremely tired, you can lie down and close your eyes and visualize His Presence moving in you from head to foot. This is scriptural. “As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them, I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2.Cor.6:16). He not only dwells in your heart, He is also walking in your whole body. Think about it! Feel excited about it! Become conscious of His Presence! This is acknowledging Him in all your ways. If you do, He shall direct your paths (Pr.3:6).

Praise His Presence

Practicing His Presence comes by praising His Presence constantly. According to New Covenant truth, no believer is given permission to plead and beg for God to be with Him because this is something Jesus already prayed for His people 2000 years ago. God granted His prayer and gave His mighty Holy Ghost to be with His people forever. Hear His Word directly: “I will pray the Father (you need not pray) and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him, nor knows Him, but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you” (Jn.14:16-18).

Wow! He prayed and sent His mighty Helper to be with you forever. If He is with you forever, why not you constantly thank Him for this Holy guest, the Holy Ghost? Now you can know Him as your dearest friend and you can see Him in your spiritual eyes. You can very well start praising all the time. Before Pentecost, Jesus was with His people; after Pentecost, Christ started living His life in you (Col.1:26). I suggest you start thanking God for His Presence, even if you don’t feel Him in the darkest time of your life. Say, “Thank You, Jesus, You are with me! You are in me! You are all around me!” Keep thanking and singing till light begins to shine from you, till your apparent chains are broken, till your doors are opened (Ac.16:25,26).

From this year, let His indwelling Presence in you become His manifested Presence through you. Let the Christ in you jump out of you and show His mighty power. This comes by your constant praise.

Proclamation of His Presence

Practicing His Presence and praising His Presence must lead you to the proclamation of His Presence. What you believe you speak (2.Cor.4:13). What you think in your heart, you become (Pr.23:7). What you respect and focus on you attract. This is a Biblical law. The more you think and acknowledge His Presence in you, the more you will start praising Him with gratitude. Such praise will bubble out of you in the form of faith proclamations.

The author of Hebrews describes it very clearly, saying: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man to do me?” (Heb.13:5-6). God expects His people to follow a clear teaching here. Note: He Himself said… So we may boldly say. Whatever He said, we must boldly say. He said, He will never leave you nor forsake you. You better shout: “My God never leaves me, never forsakes me! My Lord is my Helper! His Holy Spirit lives in me forever and ever. He dwells in me and walks in me. He is with me all the days of my life. Christ is in Me. Christ is in front of me, like a breaker going before me. Christ is behind me, watching over me. Christ is above me, covering me with His feathers. He is below me, carrying me by His everlasting arm.” Such proclamations must be made boldly, not in fear. This year, all your victories depend on these three words.

1. Practice
2. Praise
3. Proclaim

Start from today!!

2. Year of Passing through

This is the blessing of God’s Presence with us. You and God together can easily pass through the rivers. They shall not and cannot overflow you. As Christ walked over the waves, you too will walk over the floods of the enemy this year. The river that rises against you cannot drown you but will become dry ground for you to walk over.

This is very vividly pictured in Exodus 14:30-31 and Joshua 3:9-17. I want to give these scriptures to you for this year for you to deeply ponder and hear His voice clearly.

The Israelites were caught up between the roaring sea in front and the pursuing army behind. The entire congregation began to complain and moan. Moses, though he spoke boldly before the people of God, cried out to God in private. When he faced the people in public, he boldly prophesied, “Do not be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which will he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” What bold, authoritative words! Yet he himself allowed panic to grip his heart and began to cry. See how God rebukes him: “The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward and lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground in the midst of the sea”.

Here, God sharply rebuked Moses for crying and begging and pleading. God expected him to act on His Word. God expected him to trust in His abiding Presence. Remember, the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night from before the people (Ex.13:21,22). The Lord Himself went day and night in the form of a pillar of cloud and a pillar of light. This is His ever abiding Presence. If Moses and the Israelites had been conscious of His Presence, they would not have wasted their tears by crying and their time by fear.

The more you practice God’s Presence in you, the faster you will pass through all the battles and persecutions of the enemy this year. When you celebrate the indwelling Presence of God in you, you will experience the manifested Presence of God doing wonders and miracles in your life. Will the enemy come like a flood? Yes! Will you be drowned? No way! What is the secret? It’s the Spirit of God, who raises the banner against the enemy, living in you and overshadowing you.

How was the river divided before God’s people? How did the pursuing enemies perish? It is clearly written in verse 19: “And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud that went before them and stood behind them. The great mighty Presence of God came in between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The Presence of God that you carry stands between you and your enemies. Shout it! Celebrate it! The pillar that gave bright light to the Israelites became utter darkness for the Egyptians. The very Presence of God that protects you destroys your enemies, disease, sickness and all persecutors. That is why I plead with you to practice His Presence! Praise His Presence! And proclaim it boldly!

Another secret for manifesting God’s Presence is using your God-given authority. God gave His rod by which he should do the miracles into the hand of Moses. The very rod of Moses became the rod of God in Moses’ hand. When you know and exercise your authority, you will divide the sea in partnership with God. His name is given to you, His new creations: The name of Jesus Christ, the name above every name. Whatever you demand in His name shall be done for you. When Moses stretched out his hand and rod over the sea, the Lord began to work for Him, and the strong wind of the Holy Spirit manifested in His mighty power. The Israelites walked on dry ground, while the entire Egyptian army along with horses and chariots were drowned completely.

Dear saint of God, as you practice His Presence, use the name of Jesus Christ and command the rivers to open and make way for you. Right now, shout His word and say, “When I pass through the waters, God is with me. When I pass through the rivers, they shall not overflow me. Hallelujah!” Remember, you will pass through all your adverse circumstances. Nothing can block you! Persecutions and problems shall become your pathway to another level of glory and possession. You will not get stuck because of problems, but you will break through and pass through all of them. Remember the words of God’s apostle, “We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God”. Yes! You will pass through the valley of tears and make it springs of joy.