Student Messages on 3/5/06 Dan Bessey - The Presence of God Guides I want to thank Ryan for asking me to speak today; I appreciate it and don't take it lightly. Looking back, 3 years ago if somebody said I would be speaking in a class like this I would have thought they were insane. The reason I say that is because 3 years ago I had not fully given my life to Christ. At that point I had been going to a college group and randomly reading my Bible for about a year but my life was no different than before I started attending or reading. There was no fruit. I was very arrogant, critical and judgmental. I truly believed I was smarter than everybody I knew. Some of you may be thinking, "well what's the difference?" But the fact is, that all that changed once I fully gave my heart to God. And that brings me to my scripture reference and the topic I want to speak about today. Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Today I want to talk briefly about how the presence of God guides us. Let me give you a little story to underscore what I'm talking about today. Let's say you are on a plane and suddenly the flight attendant, for whatever strange reason, runs up to you and says we need you to fly the plane, the pilot and copilot have died of starvation. (It's a southwest flight). So she takes you to the cockpit sits you down and says, "okay, we have two options. 1 you can land the plane on your own, or 2 we have a pilot who is a 20 year veteran on the radio who can walk you through it." If it were me I would say umm, I'll take option two please but can I first change my pants because I've just soiled myself. So please get the pilot on the radio and I'll be right back. Now if any of you were faced with situation which one would you choose. I would hope you would be humble enough to say please guide me to a safe landing. Now with that in mind, lets look at our real everyday lives. We have a God who has created everything. Knows how everything works, how it's made. Not only did he create everything, including you and I, but He knows us intimately. He knows us better than we know ourselves. In addition to being the creator of everything and knowing us completely, He also has a plan for each one of us and knows our future. So what better way to go thru life than being guided by the One who knows absolutely everything. We don't need to land the 747 on our own. We have a pilot to guide us. Then the question become how do we receive that guidance? This is where God's presence comes in. We must stay in tune with Him, learning His voice and His desires. And that's done in prayer and in reading His word, attending church, and spending time with other believers. Brother Lawrence, was a 16th century (?) monk that practiced the presence of God. (God Is Here, is a great book if people want insight into this subject). Throughout the day he would acknowledge God, thank Him, pray no matter what he was doing. He tried to stay in constant communion with God, to stay in His presence. And if we want to have God's guidance in our lives we need to practice His presence. But let's take a closer look at the scripture I mentioned earlier. It says that we must Trust in the Lord with ALL our heart…In ALL our ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths. We don't trust with some of our heart. He says ALL. Now I want to go back to my life story a little bit and give you an example of this, and I'm sure all of you have either been through, this are going through this or know somebody that has. When I first started going to that college group I wasn't fully invested. I didn't trust God with my whole heart. I held on to some of my own understandings and the result was that my first year or so with God didn't result in much. In fact my life got very, very difficult (as my friend Eric can attest to) leading up to the point where I finally made a decision to fully trust God. And that's the thing about God. If you don't give Him your whole heart he's not going to guide you directly to where He wants and needs you. He's going to take you along a path to break you of those old ways that are preventing you from being successful with Him. And depending on how long you wait to give Him your whole heart, it can become a very painful process. Finally though in May of 2003 I sat down and decided that I couldn't pick and choose my Christianity. The Bible isn't a buffet where you pick the stuff you like and leave the rest for somebody else. No, you want the fried chicken and the cheesecake; well you have to take the brussel sprouts and asparagus too. So I basically said to God, okay I want to do this all the way. Take control and do what you have to do. And it was because I gave my whole heart to God that I'm able to stand in front of a group like this and speak. I'm not trying to brag and say look what I've done because I didn't do anything but take the step to give up control. What I basically did was quit and let God take over. God has done it all in my life. The only reason that I am where I am today after less than 3 years of being a Christian is that I gave God my whole heart. And that's not to say I haven't had my slips and my struggles because I definitely I have, but the fact that I've only been at this for roughly three years and am where I am is a testament to how Gods presence guides us. He has guided me to an amazing group of people in ediphi. He has guided me not to one but to two jobs and has guided me within those jobs and finally He's guided me to the greatest thing in my life in Missy. A woman who loves God with her whole heart who trusts Him completely and without fail and for some insane reason loves me. Seriously the girl needs prayer, the rest of her life with me, she's nuts. So to wrap this up I want to encourage you to practice God's presence and to give your whole heart to Him and tap into that guidance He offers. Maybe there are little things in your life that are holding you back or keeping you from God's presence. I'm not saying we all need to join a convent or a monastery but you know the things that aren't helping you. So spend time with Him and allow Him to guide you into that perfect plan He has for you because no matter how hard you try and how much time you put into it, you can't come up with a better plan than the one He already has for you. Ben McDonald - The Presence of God Comforts Us in Times of Need May someone please read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 My first real experience with the presence of god came in a jail cell in Omaha Nebraska. Not exactly the best place to find it but a place where you definitely need it. Some of you know how I got there but for the rest of you ill give you the short version. Over 2 and half years ago in August I decided against the wishes of my parents to go on a trip to Nebraska. I thought I was in love with a girl and I believed the story that she told me why we where going on this trip.  Well turns out we where not going on this trip to deliver a car to the family of her friend but to deliver 4 pounds of meth. I figured this out as I watched 3 duck taped bags fall out of the bumper of the car as the police inspected the car. I found my self in a position I never ever thought I would be in. I had never even tried a cigarette and now I'm being charged with trying to traffic drugs across the country. All kinds of thoughts where going through my head, every prison movie I had ever seen was running through my mind. I didn't know what else to do but pray. I cried out to god asking how this could happen, what do I do? I'm thousands of miles away from home in a jail cell. I prayed for protection and just guidance for what to do in the next couple of days. I felt his presence tell me that I would be ok, and I had nothing to worry about.  When I was moved from the police station to County Jail they put me in the minimum-security part of the jail. I actually got to play a couple of games of chess while I was there… and I lost on purpose I might add. After 5 days in jail my parents bailed me out. A month later I took a polygraph test that showed I did not know about the drugs that where in the car. I went back to Arizona and went on with life as usual. After months went by waiting for the charges to be dropped I received a phone call from my attorney in January telling me that the county had dropped their charges against me…. but the Federal Government had indicted me and place a warrant out for my arrest.  I flew back to Omaha and turned my self in to be processed. I met with the police officers again and told them why I thought we where going on the trip. After talking to me they said they thought they would probably drop the charges and use me as a witness in the case. I flew back to Arizona once again and waited for them to drop the charges. Months passed until April when my attorney called me and informed me that they where not going to drop the charges but offer me a plea deal of 2 years in prison, or face a trial in which a conviction would mean a minimum of 10 years in prison.  Needless to say I didn't know what I was going to do. I went to church that Sunday and desperately needed comfort. I felt like I ton of bricks had just hit me. I remember that Sunday morning Pastor Barnett gave an alter call at the end of praise and worship because he felt that there where people that needed to come forward. Well I was definitely one of those people. I rushed up to that alter and knelt and prayed. I remember pastor Brad coming next to me and praying for me. I felt a peace come over me and I knew that god was in control and there was nothing I needed to worry about.  Later that night I remember going to a churches chicken and after I pulled out of the drive threw I turned on my radio to hear the song "God is in control". I flew back to Omaha and spoke with my attorney. She said that she was going to meat with the prosecutors one last time to see if they would drop the charges. She called me to tell me that if I took one more polygraph test and passed they would drop the charges. I flew back up to Omaha and took the polygraph test… only to find out that I had failed this time.  Now I really didn't know what was going on but I still knew that God was in control. I flew back to Arizona and awaited their decision. In July my attorney called me and told me that the Feds had agreed to drop the charges if I pleaded no contest to possession of an illegal substance which is a misdemeanor.  I know if it wasn't for God and his comforting presence I would not have been able to make it over those uncertain times. It often felt like there was a heavy weight on my shoulders, there was so much uncertainty, where would I be a year from know? Working at my job? Or staying in a prison? I knew that no matter what happened he had a plan. Have you ever felt like you where in a situation that was bigger than yourself? Have you ever felt like you where in over your head?  Psalms 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer, from the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. We may not know what tomorrow holds for us but we know who holds tomorrow. We must always remember how close are comfort is, all we have to do is pray to him and seek his presence. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. He's ever-present, all we have to do is listen. I didn't make that big mistake because I didn't KNOW of God, but because I didn't Know him. Ever since I was little I knew OF God, but I didn't KNOW him until I learned how to seek his presence and let him be my strength, my shelter, and my comfort. If you want to KNOW him you have to seek his presence. Nick Schulz - The Presence of God Encourages Judges 6:12 - he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior When you think of a mighty (Strong and powerful, big and impressive) warrior (somebody in conflict), do you think of the strongest, smartest, cleverest or the best looking? All of these might make a might warrior, but sometimes Mighty warriors aren't who we think of. For inset when God think of a mighty warrior he think of the most unlikely people, I will be talking about four stories of bible and how god encouraged them to do great things. The First person is David, and how he came to defeat Goliath, In 1 Samuel 17 we see Goliath was mocking the Israelites, and how no one was stopping him. All David wanted to do was see his brothers but god had a deferent plans, he wanted him to defeat that Giant. That shepherds boy who was Encouraged and built up by god every night in the fields realized, that he was a mighty warrior for god and he went and defeated Goliath. The Second person is Esther, and how she saved her people in Esther 2 we see Esther becoming Queen. When Esther was in the places she found out the Jews are being murder, so Esther a Jew herself had to go to the king and ask him to stop killing her people. That simple adopted peasant girl who was encouraged to talk to the king became a mighty warrior for god and save her people. The third person is Moses, and how he stands up to the Pharaoh starting in Exodus 4 we see Moses flee from Egypt after killing a man. When Moses was talking to God on the mountain god asked Moses to Bring my people out of Egypt, but Moses Said "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?", but God encouraged Moses to stand up to the Pharaoh and to trust in the lord. That murder that, became a shepherd, who became a servant, which free his people from Egypt, was mighty Warrior For god, just by standing up to the Pharaoh. My Fourth Group is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and how by them not praising the statue changed the king mind staring in Daniel 3 we see them disobey the kings orders. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego did not praise the statue they where bonded up and throne in the furnace by the kings orders, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego walk out from the furnace unharmed. These three friends that stood up for what they believed, encouraged a king to change his believes that changed a kingdom believes where mighty warriors for God. Scott Downing - The Presence of God Reveals I wanted to thank Ryan for the opportunity to speak again in Edi Phi. I know we have five people speaking today, so I will have to keep it short. Just to let you know, my sermon length today will be less than 10 minutes but longer than the time Lampas spent in the end zone. This past week, I finished the book "A Heart Ablaze" by John Bevere. I was surprised when Ryan gave me the topic to speak on today because it had been right in line with what I had been learning about. So, today I will speak about how the presence of God can reveal who we really are. There is no doubt that if I ask anyone in this room if they wanted to be in the presence of God, the answer would be "Yes, of course." I mean, who would not want to be in God's presence? However, many people are truly afraid to seek the presence of God because it will reveal things in their life that they want to keep hidden. As David Blythe said last Wednesday, God is the ultimate form of light. In 1 John 1:5 says "…God is Light: in him there is no darkness at all." In fact, God's image is so magnificent that our mortal bodies cannot behold him. In Exodus 33:20, God says that "…you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live." Being in the magnificent presence of God will reveal things in our life that we may want to keep hidden. Think of God's presence as the ultimate X-Ray machine. No matter what you are wearing on the outside, God will be able to see what is on your inside. And no, lead vests do not work with God…only Superman. This can be very scary for people who want to seek out God's presence, but do not want to give up some things from their past. One side of them wants to pray and seek God, but another part of them is afraid that seeking God will bring up some vices that they have hidden deep inside them. Remember though, God already knows about everything in your life…you cannot hide anything from him. Seeking out God simply brings these things to the surface for you to deal with. We see this in the story of the Israelites in Exodus. After Moses spoke the Ten Commandments to the people, there was thunder and lightning as the presence of God was near. Exodus 20:18-21 18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." 20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." 21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. The sad part is that the Israelites were not ready to enter into God's presence. It says they remained at a distance. The people at the foot of the mountain were not pure enough to go up with Moses. They were satisfied with their current position, and their current view of God. So what did they end up doing? When Moses was gone on the mountain for a long time, they decided to make an idol. Exodus 32:2-4 2 Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." It was not like they built an idol to represent a different god, they actually built the idol to represent the God that brought them out of Egypt. This is the same God that had delivered them from Egypt, split the Red Sea, and miraculously fed them on their journey. So, why did they fashion an idol? The people relied on Moses for their revelations, and when he was away from them for a long period of time, they lost their connection to God's presence. They were still afraid to enter into God's presence because of the sin in their lives, so they fashioned an idol instead. This was a convenient solution to their problem. They thought that they could keep their current impure lifestyle while still thinking they were worshiping God. However, to truly enter into God's presence, you must purify your life. The result was an image of God that was convenient and likable by earthly standards, but nowhere near the true magnificence of God. Not seeking the presence of God can be a dangerous thing. Sure, you can go to church every week, sit it your seat, and listen to the preacher. But, if you never spend any personal time with God, whose presence are you really trying to enter into? The presence of God or the presence of the preacher! Every Christian is called to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter how holy or righteous someone may appear to be, they are in fact human. I have the utmost respect for Pastor Barnett, Pastor Blythe, and Ryan, but I cannot stop there. If I do, I am no different than the Israelites at the foot of the mountain waiting for Moses to bring down news from God. I wanted to end on a positive note. Being in the presence of God is amazing. In Exodus 34:29, Moses' face was radiant from being in God's presence, so much so that he had to wear a veil. Exodus 34:29-30 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. As we get closer and closer to God's presence, his magnificent light will shine through us for the entire world to see. This light is what Joyce Meyer and Pastor Blythe talked about recently. People will recognize something different within us without us even saying a word. So, I encourage you all purify your hearts and to seek out God's presence.