2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV) Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

If you have learned what is valuable as a follower of Christ, then you have learned to seek to have God’s presence with you always. The only reason to not want His presence with you at all times is when you would rather do your own thing and go your own way, which would indicate that you have not learned what is valuable. God’s presence is desirable and hugely beneficial as well. To have the Lord with you means that you are safe and secure and that you have no reason to be afraid of anything or anyone. David learned that as he wrote that even when walking through the darkest valley, which he called the valley of the shadow of death, he did not fear it because God was with Him (Psalm 23:4).

So how can you be sure to have God with you? The passage of scripture above tells us how. First, always look to be made whole and fully restored by the Lord Jesus. You do that by spending quality time in prayer and in His Word. His presence and His Word refresh your soul. After being refreshed, encourage others in their faith. Look to help others along who have been wounded in spiritual battle or who have become weakened in their faith because of difficult circumstances. The Lord is attracted to those in need and to those who help others who are in need. Then, look to share the same attitude of those who love and reverence the Lord Jesus. Be in accord with brothers and sisters in Christ who are striving to follow Jesus and to do His will. Finally, learn to love peace and to live in peace. If you look at a lot of people around you, they do not know how to live in peace. They are constantly fussing about things, even things that in the grand scheme of things are relatively insignificant and unimportant. I heard a caller to a radio show complaining of a “goat encampment” that he happened to pass by on his way to work. The so-called goat encampment was made up of three goats out in a field. This person was highly upset and felt that goats should not have been in that field. It messed up his whole day. See what I mean? People don’t know how to live in peace but when you do, that attracts the presence of God.

The Lord Jesus desires to be with you. As a matter of fact, He has done everything in His power to make that happen. That’s the reason why He came physically to this world. It was to restore our relationship with the Father so that nothing will ever be able to separate us again. All you need to do is live a life that constantly seeks to be restored in His presence, care about others, look to be in agreement with other brothers and sisters in Christ who are actively following Jesus, and look to live in the peace that Jesus has personally given you (John 14:27). Do those simple things with the help of the Holy Spirit and you will ensure that God will be with you. When God is with you, there is nothing or no one that can come against you and against your success.

Pastor Joey Vazquez