Welcome to the new fireside blog – The Presence Place. Many more online articles & posts over the previous years will be added soon.
Life & Death
I never want to be in the shadow of a lion, a wolf, a cougar, a bobcat, a salt water crocodile or a black mamba. But the cry of my heart is to always live in the shadow of the Almighty God (Psalm 91:1). Sometimes it’s dark because the Lord is so close. And sometimes it’s dark because we are so distant from the Lord. And it’s a matter of life and death to know the difference. (Posted initially on social media, 2/7/2024)
Full of Mixture
Many Christians are married to the world. Either they do not realize it because they are so intertwined with their own desires or they do not recognize a false gospel filled with mixture. They say the right words, sing the right songs and even convinced themselves to be in relationship with the Holy Spirit. Yet, their heart is not right with Him. They give no time to the Lord or His Word. Prophetic voices and overseers can easily fall into the trap of false predictions, hopeful outcomes or assumptions. It is easy to reduce seeking His face to lip service in the car or a few minutes before falling asleep at night. It is easy for prophets to confuse false assumptions as the voice of God. Most Christians today would reject Jeremiah’s message. It would be called heretical. Yet, it’s true. God removed His Spirit from ministries and people who brought blatant sin and rebellion into worship with no remorse, repentance or anguish. In verse 10, God says “you come and stand before Me…and say ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations?’” In other words, we really believe that He is pleased when we come to worship while holding such idols in our heart, hiding the besetting sin or mixture in our life or ignore Him the rest of the week? It’s foolish to think otherwise. It’s an abomination and He will not live in a temple that ignores Him.
Most Christians would say the verse “God will never leave you or forsake you” to justify themselves. Yet, God condemned ancient Israel while providing for them every day for 40 years. They never entered the rest because of unbelief. Unbelief partners with the demonic. Jeremiah reminds us that the number one issue facing Christians and ministries today is self-deception. We all need a renewed call to anguish. Sadly, this message is foreign to most Christians today. (Posted initially on social media, 2/18/2023).
Intimacy without Presence
I was restless last night. I heard the Lord speak 7 words to my heart. “Can anyone have a relationship without presence? “ Everything revolves around His presence. I pondered those words for a while. No marriage can survive if a husband and wife live apart from each another. No child can grow emotionally healthy without the presence of an engaged father and mother. America’s greatest threat today is fatherlessness. (Posted initially on social media, 1/31/2023).