Experiencing God's Presence #13

Christ lives within you. . . . The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.

Romans 8:10-11

Imagine standing face-to-face with Jesus, enjoying a conversation about life and all its challenges. He looks into your eyes, and you sense His perfect knowledge of your innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires. You look into His eyes and see His deep love and acceptance of you. Then, in this moment of intimacy, you see Him step closer toward you, so close it looks like He’s about to knock you down. But instead of a collision, He steps right into you. He turns around so that He’s looking out of your eyes, He stretches His hands down into your hands, and you begin to feel His heartbeat. The Son of God is inside. He has clothed Himself with you.

This is a true picture. Jesus does dwell within us. His Spirit has made His home in our spirits. At times, Scripture tells us that we are “in Him”—we are the ones clothed in Christ, looking through His eyes and being sheltered by His Spirit. But other verses tell us that He is in us, that He lives His life through the bodies and souls He has redeemed. His Presence is more than “in the room.” We are the room He is in.

Learn to live with this picture in mind. This is part of how we retrain ourselves to see truth. Our vision shapes who we are, and if we don’t envision the indwelling Christ, we don’t allow Him to live through us. In fact, we often live as though He isn’t even near. Develop the awareness that Jesus is looking through your eyes, guiding your feet, ministering through your mouth and hands, and sharing His heartbeat with you. And the power and Presence will increasingly become part of your experience.

Jesus, step into me and live through me as fully as You want to. Let me truly be Your hands, feet, eyes, and mouth.

From the book