MANIFESTING THE PRESENCE OF GOD
(week 34/10)
OLUBI JOHNSON
God is 3 persons, each with a definite shape and form; they are one God because they have the same nature, character and power:
Genesis 1:26 AMP: God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.]
John 5:37 KJV: And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
Philippians 2:6-7 KJV: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Ezekiel 8:2-3 MKJV: And I looked, and behold! A likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of His loins and downward, like fire. And from His loins and upward as the appearance of brightness, like the color of polished bronze. (3) And He put out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head. And the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heavens, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the opening of the inner gate facing north, where there was a seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.
John 17:20-22 KJV: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (21) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (22) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Observe from these scriptures that God introduces Himself to us in Genesis as a plurality: 3 persons, who each have a form and shape as seen in Jn. 5:37, Phil. 2:6-7 and Ezekiel 8:2-3. Now, this form and shape is like our form and shape since man was created in the image and likeness of God: so each person of the Godhead as shown in Ezekiel 8:2-3 has a head, torso, loins, hands, legs etc. However, His form is spiritual in substance and not physical since God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24). In fact man is also a spirit: a greatly miniaturized form of God encapsulated in a physical body.
John 4:24 AMP: God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).
Genesis 2:7 AMP: Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life and man became a living being. [I Cor. 15:45-49.]
Furthermore, the 3 persons of the Godhead are One just like a husband and wife are to be one or members of a church are to be one: have the same nature, character, power and mind according to Jn. 17:21-22 above.
1 Corinthians 1:10 MKJV: (10) But I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Now, from the person of God flows out His power which creates His presence everywhere; this is similar to how television or mobile phone waves are released from a transmission station or mobile phone and carry the pictures and voice of a person everywhere.
Romans 1:20 NIV: For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Observe here, Paul says we can understand the invisible qualities of God’s power and nature from created physical things, like the television or mobile phone.
So, just like with mobile phone waves, you have to have a subscriber identification module (SIM) card; a charged phone and credit on your phone to access the pictures and voices that are being transmitted in the same way: you have to have a born-again human spirit, charged with the power of the Holy Spirit and an ‘open heaven’ created by deep intercession in the Spirit with all kinds of prayer (Eph. 6:18) that has overcome the influence of evil spirits in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:12; Dan.10:12-13) to access God’s voice and pictures through your thoughts by revelation.
When you act on God’s presence received in this way, you will experience a physical manifestation of God’s power confirming the reality of His presence. So, even though God’s person can be in one location, His presence pervades the entire universe: being everywhere, every time with infinite power.
This is what makes God omnipresent, omniscient (knowing all things everywhere) and omnipotent (all powerful).
Psalms 139:7-10 MKJV: Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? (8) If I go up into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the furthest parts of the sea; (10) even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
In our article next week, we will see how to manifest God’s presence, wisdom and power.
