Warning Signs You Can't Ignore
In this story Israel lost 30,000 men. But why did that happen when God was protecting Israel?
It was because the presence of God wasn’t in their life. In verse 19 we see the word Ichabod which means no glory, God’s glory departed from them. In this chapter the ark was taken away and God departed from Israel therefore Israel lost a great deal.
First we must understand the presence of God and its purpose.
What is the presence?
The presence of God is the person of God Himself revealed at a specific time. When the presence manifests, you feel it. His presence is tangible – you can feel, see, and hear it. It can be felt and it can be seen in the spiritual realm. The presence can also be perceived, never through a man but through God Himself.
The presence is an atmosphere that envelopes the body. It is a moment in time like a shadow that covers you.
Why you cannot feel or sense the presence?
When you cannot feel or sense the presence it is because of sin and iniquity. Iniquity is the presence of something twisted, something perverse. It is wickedness, injustice, something immoral. When those things are present in a person it creates a wall making it impossible to feel the presence and see it manifest.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.” – Isaiah 59:2
What is the purpose of the presence?
The purpose of the presence is for the Word of God to be manifested. The presence cannot separate itself from the Word. Both go together.
How can we access the presence?
Through prayer and worship is how the presence will manifest because worship is recognizing God. When there is a constant progression of worship the presence is felt stronger. Worship creates an atmosphere where the presence of God is manifested.
By being conscious of God within us at the present moment. Being aware of Him as if God was right in front of you. Remember the Holy Spirit dwells in you. An atmosphere is built through declarations, words, prayer, and worship. Each person that has a lifestyle of prayer and worship will always be a carrier of the presence of God.
Evidence that you are in the presence:
You have rest, peace and an abundance of joy.
What happens to a person when they are in the presence?
- It awakens the fear of God inside them.
- It awakens the worshiper within them.
- It causes them to want to seek God.
Worshippers dwell in the presence of God, wherever the presence goes they follow it.
Even if your life is a mess you shouldn’t run away from God’s presence, you have to run to it. If you did something wrong, if you committed a horrible sin, you must always run to the presence.
Consequences of the wrong atmosphere:
In the book of Genesis we see God created an atmosphere before creating man. When God created Eden it bore the atmosphere of heaven. It was a place where there was total abundance, provision and peace because His presence was there.
If we are not in the right atmosphere our gifts and calling will not develop to its fullest. God creates atmospheres intentionally, built and designed for us to grow. He creates that which will sustain us.
The lack of God’s presence is like a fish out of water. The wrong atmosphere can spiritually deteriorate us.
When we live outside of God’s presence by living in sin, there is no covering or protection of God’s presence over our life. That is what happened to the soldiers of Israel.
Three consequences of the presence being removed:
- We become spiritually exposed. We won’t have protection or God’s covering in our life. The devil knows when we don’t have protection. When you disobey God, have sin or inequity the devil becomes aware of this, making you an easy target to his attacks.
- We become religious. We begin to do things mechanically. Everything in our life will stay the same. We sing the same songs. We say the same prayers. They may have nice words but the presence won’t be manifested. As a result of all this we will become spiritually dry.
- Spiritually we die. All sin is punished by death. Physical, mental and spiritual sin will cause us to move away from our source of life which is Jesus.
Make sure when you don’t feel His presence, run to it. If you haven’t felt His presence in a while or you have felt spiritually dry, those are the warning signs that you must repent of your sins and seek God. Ask Him to manifest in your life.
If you want protection, covering, and be in the place you were called to be, you must be in the atmosphere of His presence.
“So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.” – 1 Samuel 4:10