What happens when God’s presence becomes the center of your life?
\nHow a deserted wilderness became a place of healing, provision, and miracles simply because Jesus was there. As thousands gathered around Him, Jesus revealed that the answer was not found somewhere else\u2014it was found in The Presence of God<\/p>\n
May the holy name of the Lord be blessed. Relying on the grace of the Lord, I glorify the Lord remembering that God has given me the opportunity to be in this church during these days. the lord me opportunity to be with you all.
\nI praise the Lord remembering the dear pastor and family. Likewise, I praise the Lord for the precious servants of the Lord here. I also thank God for giving me the privilege of being together with the precious servants of the Lord, with the dear pastor and family, with the church, to be in God’s presence, to come into your homes, to minister, and to experience love, care, and ministry in various ways. At the very beginning, I want to express my special gratitude to the church, especially to the pastor and the servants of God. express my gratitude to the pas and the church for enabling me to be with you and share the word of.
\nI am very thankful. By God’s grace I was able to come like this, to come once again to this church, to be together with God’s people, to experience great joy and care. I am very grateful. May the Lord bless you all. in my heart for invite me over and this opportunity.
\nLet us read from Matthew chapter 14, verses 13 to 15. verses 13 to 15 when jesus heard about it he be from there by both to a remote place to be alone when the crow he this the followed him on food from the to step he crow for compassion for them and heal the ship when evening came the disles approach him and said this place isness and already late the crowd so the can go into the villages and by food for them.
\nHoly God, Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your great presence among us today. Strengthen Your servants. We thank You for Your love that has powerfully worked through every part of this service, through worship, songs, prayers, and the Psalms. Thank You for the message You have given. Lord, our table is in our midst; help everything to become a great blessing. As we spend this short time in Your presence, give us the divine message and the Word that we need. Strengthen us, Your servants. May the mighty power of the Holy Spirit be upon us. May Your holy name be glorified. Thank You for hearing our prayer. In the name of Jesus Christ. The passage we read is a very familiar passage. very famil.
\n“After hearing this, Jesus departed from there by boat to a remote place to be alone.” jesus here from there by to remote place to be alone.
\nWhat was it that Jesus heard? jesus he.
\nIf we think about what He heard, if we look at the previous chapter, we can see it. Praise the Lord. In King Herod’s palace, a celebration was taking place. we know that we read about there is a king pal.
\nAt that time there was a dance program there. there was a dang. The king liked it very much. like it much.
\nWhen he was pleased with the girl’s dance, the king asked her what she wanted as a reward. like you. The girl consulted with her mother and then said, “I want the head of this preacher.” girl to after came back I want the head of this pasure.
\nJohn was pointing out certain wrong things. out. John pointed his finger against the sins and wrongdoings of the king. Because of that, they said his head should be cut off.
\nIn order to please people, King Herod had John beheaded and brought his head on a platter, almost like presenting a World Cup trophy. That is the opening part of the story. of john and head.
\nWhat is it that Jesus heard? That is what I am talking about. When we think about what Jesus heard, we may not immediately think of a beheading. Before speaking about that part, I wanted to explain what Jesus heard.
\nIt was an event that caused Jesus pain. The head that was cut off belonged to the one who came to prepare the way and baptize Jesus. That is what Jesus heard.
\nWhy did this happen?
\nBecause John stood against sin and confronted it.
\nThen we see another king\u2014King David. David sinned and did wrong, but for a long time he did not even remember that he had sinned. he is not even that. He did not even think it was wrong. is not even knowing that. He thought it was not a big issue.
\nThen one day the prophet Nathan came to the palace. Nathan the prophet came and told a story.
\n“There was a rich man in a city.” city and.
\n“There was also a poor man who had only one little ewe lamb.”
\nWhen a traveler came to the rich man’s house, instead of taking one from his many sheep, the rich man took the poor man’s only lamb, slaughtered it, and prepared food for his guest. says that the rich man had even though he had hundreds of sheep what he did is when he go had a gust he took the po man sheep and.
\nImmediately David’s sense of justice rose up.
\n“That man deserves death.”
\n“He should die.”
\n“He should repay fourfold.”
\nThen the prophet said, “You are that man.” you are that.
\nYou are that man. you are.
\nDavid did not react the way Herod did. He did not grab the prophet by the neck. He did not question him. Suddenly David fell to the ground. He began to weep bitterly. He was deeply broken. He confessed and began to cry out. out.
\nThat cry became Psalm 51.
\nIn response to that cry, God’s mercy flowed upon him. Even though he had experienced such failure, before God, in God’s presence, he was willing to set things right. He was willing to repent. He was willing to fall before God’s presence. ready to down.
\nPsalm 51 is the sound of that cry. Therefore he was not destroyed. Instead, God blessed him. Even his name later became precious.
\nWhen speaking about Jesus, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, born of the seed of David”\u2014that is the Gospel. jesus christ who was born in davidage.
\nGod exalted him to such an extent that Jesus is identified as the Son of David. He became a prophet who foretold the sufferings of Christ. Not because he never failed, but because he was able to deal with his failures in God’s presence.
\nThe reason I said all this was to explain what Jesus heard. What He heard caused Him pain. Perhaps He wanted to withdraw somewhere alone. Perhaps He wanted solitude. Perhaps He wanted to pour out His heart before the Father and spend time in God’s presence.
\nThe Father often has more than one purpose in a matter. God may have many purposes at the same time. One purpose may have been for Jesus to spend time alone with the Father in God’s presence.
\nFor that purpose He found a place. He went to a deserted place. He went into the wilderness. There was no one there. There was nothing there. The disciples also came there.
\nWhen people learned that Jesus was there, thousands of people began to come. When they heard Jesus was there, thousands walked there on foot. to.
\nToday we must remember one thing:
\nIf God’s presence is with you, if Jesus is within you, if Jesus is in your home, if His presence is in your family life, if His presence is in your worship, if God’s presence is there, changes will begin to happen on their own.
\nThousands began coming there. No advertisement was given. No great announcement was made. Those who had a need heard about it and came running. to.
\nThat is how our lives are as well.
\nIf Jesus is within me, if God’s grace is upon me, if the Holy Spirit is in me, if there is anointing, if there is power, if I am a praying person, if I live close to God, then in every area of life God’s blessing will be manifested.
\nThere is no use merely talking about what we have. There is no use in all our achievements. If God is there, everything is there. If God is there, everything is there. If Jesus is there, that is enough.
\nAll the people came there. The Lord saw them. He began to speak with them. Jesus began to preach. The preaching continued for a long time.
\nThis was not an age with microphones and sound systems like today. Imagine the effort required to speak to thousands of people. What labor it must have been. What difficulty it must have been to project His voice.
\nAll of this was taking place. He preached for hours. He continued teaching. Hours and days passed. They kept hearing the voice of God.
\nA person who experiences God’s presence longs to hear God’s voice. No matter how much they hear, it is never enough.
\nNot only were they hearing, deliverance was taking place. Jesus was not merely preaching. God’s power was working. There was a desire for things to happen, for God’s power to move, for the Holy Spirit to work, for lives to become dwelling places of God’s presence and fullness.
\nAfter this, He healed the people there. Time moved forward.
\nToday we always say we have no time. Nothing gets completed. There is no time for things to happen. There is no time to seek God. before they spirit he.
\nEven in our homes, we often do not have time to allow God’s presence to move among us. don’t even have in.
\nBlessed is the one who spends time with God. Blessed is the one who experiences His presence. Blessed are those who experience God’s power. In these days this is essential. day.
\nThis must be revealed among us. How many desire this? God fills those who thirst and long for Him.
\nAs things moved forward, the crowd remained there. No one wanted to leave. Praise the Lord.
\nThen the disciples came and said, comes to.
\n“Lord, the time is gone.” the up.
\n“It is already evening.” already.
\n“And this place is deserted.” place.
\n“It is a wilderness.”
\n“There is nothing available here.”
\n“There are no shops.”
\n“There are no facilities.”
\n“There is nothing to drink.”
\n“There is nothing to eat.”
\n“There is no way to buy anything.”
\n“There is only one solution.”
\n“Send them home.”
\nplease.
\n“Let them go to their villages and get food.” This was the opinion the disciples brought. Without wasting time, send them home. Let them go and prepare food and eat. Nothing is going to happen in this place. But the Lord said, when lord says,”They do not need to go away.” they don’t have to go away.<\/p>\n
I want to share something that God deeply spoke to me about.
\nWe are looking toward the face of God. We are listening to the Word of God. We are sitting at His feet. We are experiencing His presence.
\nThen someone says, “Go somewhere else.” Someone says, “Go and come back later.” But if you are at the feet of God, there is never a need for that.
\nIf you are at the feet of God, if you believe His voice, if you trust what He says, if you are experiencing His presence, if His Word is coming to you, then your way is not somewhere else. Your way comes from God.
\nNo matter what wilderness you are in, no matter what country you are in, it does not matter. No matter how much circumstances are turned upside down, if the Owner of the whole world is your Father, if you trust His voice, if you have taken refuge in Him, if you have received the living Word of God, then your deliverance is right here.
\nYour answer is in God’s presence. Your blessing is here. The God who cares for you has already made provision there. You do not need to go elsewhere. Where are you going to go? There is no need to go anywhere else. How many believe that?
\nNo matter what people say, no matter what laws may come into the nation, if God is for you, you are worshipping the King of kings. The church is the place where the Most High reigns above all who are called high.
\nMy God is the Most High. You may see many great and influential people, but our God is above them all. How many can truly believe that? How many can receive that faith?
\nGod’s verdict concerning your situation is in His presence. Your path is at His feet. If you can experience His presence, your possibilities are limitless. Believe it. Praise God.
\nWhen God speaks, He does exactly what He says. The disciples were speaking based on what they saw. They evaluated the situation correctly. They recognized the reality around them. And what they said was true. But Jesus works beyond what is visible. Jesus provides beyond what is visible. Jesus is able to do beyond what seems possible.
\nThey asked, “How can we feed all these people?”
\nLet’s read verse 16.
\nThere is another message that spoke to me from this passage.
\nJesus said to the disciples, “You give them something to eat.”
\nThey were probably wondering, “How can we do that?” But Jesus was saying, “I will make you the channel through which I provide. You will give. I will provide through you. I will work through you.”
\nWhen we think, “How can this happen through us?” the Lord says, “You give them food.”
\nIf God can do it through you, if you are experiencing His presence, if you are receiving His Word, if you have taken refuge in Him, if you have a heart that can speak with God, if you can hear God speaking, then the Spirit of God is saying:
\n“God is going to work through you. He is going to move through you. He is going to bring victory through you.”
\nThen they said, “We have five loaves and two fish.”
\nThey belonged to a little boy. His mother had packed them for him to eat. She had prepared two fish and five loaves for her son.
\nWhy didn’t he eat them?
\nPerhaps he had received healing. Perhaps he was experiencing God’s presence. Nobody there was eating. They were all listening to Jesus.
\nThe preacher then shared an illustration:
\nA man with severe stomach problems was going to a fasting prayer meeting. On the way he became hungry, bought some biscuits and water, and planned to eat them. But when he saw believers walking toward the prayer meeting, he felt ashamed to eat in front of them. So he kept the biscuits with him.
\nDuring the meeting, while the preacher was speaking, the man secretly broke pieces of the biscuit and ate them little by little. People thought he was raising his hands because he was touched by the message, but he was actually sneaking biscuits into his mouth.
\nLater, only crumbs remained in the packet.
\nThen the preacher asked:
\nWhy didn’t that little boy eat his food? Why did he keep it?
\nBecause he realized nobody else was eating.
\nGod prepares certain people. God places certain things in people’s hands. God has divine plans.
\nThe bread and fish came from that little boy.
\nJesus did not say, “Take that boy away. That food is useless. No need for it.”
\nInstead, He said, “Bring it here.”
\nWe have our responsibility. When man does his part, God does His part. When we trust God, He receives glory. While we wait upon Him, He renews our strength.
\nOur responsibility is to do our part.
\nJesus never rejected the five loaves and two fish. Why? Because although there were over 5,000 men present, what little they had was still something they could surrender to God.
\nEven if it was not enough for fifty people, when it was placed into the hands of Jesus, everything changed. When it was transferred into the hands of the One who should receive it, it became sufficient.
\nThat is why we do not walk around in despair.
\nAs Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
\nHow many believe that today?
\nWhen you use every opportunity to look to the face of God and experience His presence, God transforms your life.
\nThe five loaves became a miracle. People were seated in groups of fifty. Food was being distributed. What had been a wilderness became a banquet hall. A place that had nothing became a place where thousands were fed.
\nGod does not need much time to change a life. He does not need much time to rewrite your story. He does not need much time to change your address or your future.
\nIf God is for you, everything can change.
\nMerely attending church and going home changes nothing. The grace of God flows through a personal relationship with Him.
\nWhen the Holy Spirit fills you, rivers of living water begin to flow from within.
\nWe need the power of the Spirit. We need to enter the river of the Holy Spirit. We need to experience His work in our lives.
\nGod is awakening hearts in these days.
\nWhat was once called a wilderness became a place where thousands were fed.
\nWhen God changes a situation, rejoice and be glad.
\nHow many believe that?
\nGod is going to change your situation. God is going to make your life a miracle. What seems impossible will become possible.
\nAnd after everyone ate, twelve baskets were collected. Each basket carried a lesson. Each disciple left carrying a basket of bread.
\nOne blessing leads to another. One miracle leads to another.
\nThe story did not end there. The next event was about to unfold.
\nAfter the miracle, Jesus told the disciples to go to the other side of the lake.
\nThen the preacher moved to James 5:13:
\n“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”
\nThere is no vacation from prayer. There is no leave from prayer.
\nWhen trouble comes, pray.
\nYes, ask others to pray for you. That is important. But today when people ask for prayer, many simply send folded-hands emojis. Some people think the emoji itself is the prayer.
\nNo.
\nIt simply means, “I intend to pray for you.”
\nReal prayer means spending time before God.
\nWhen suffering comes, many people do not even feel like praying. But only those who practice prayer receive the burden to pray.
\nIf all you do for others is send an emoji, then when your own trouble comes, that is all you will have.
\nThat is why prayer is necessary.
\nThe Bible says, “If anyone suffers, let him pray.”
\nIt does not say, “If anyone is happy, let him go relax in a park.”
\nInstead, even in good times, let your heart become a song. Let your song become worship. Let your worship become prayer. Then your life itself becomes prayer.
\nThese things must become real. They must happen in our lives. Otherwise, we will not move forward as God intends.
\nWe live in a time when the enemy is working powerfully. We never know what may happen next. That is why prayer is essential.
\nAfter feeding the thousands, Jesus sent the crowd away and went up the mountain to pray.
\nThe disciples went across the sea. Storms arose. Winds blew. Difficulties came.
\nEven when you obey Jesus, storms can come. Even when Jesus sends you, opposition can come.
\nBut Jesus was praying.
\nThe disciples were struggling in the waves. Fear came. Their joy disappeared.
\nThen, during the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came walking on the sea.
\nJesus does not need Google Maps. He knows exactly where you are. He knows the size of your problem. He will not allow you to be destroyed. He will not allow you to sink.
\nNo matter the night, no matter the sea, He has a way. He knows where you are. He knows your situation.
\nYou are not going under. You are not finished. God’s hand is powerful enough to lift you up.
\nJesus rebuked the wind. The sea became calm.
\nThen Peter saw Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You.”
\nThat was the passion inside Peter.
\nPeter stepped out onto the water.
\nHow could he walk?
\nIf you asked Peter, he would probably say:
\n“I looked at Jesus’ face. I listened to Jesus’ word.”
\nThat is enough.
\nIf you keep your eyes on Jesus and listen to His voice, you will walk and not sink.
\nToday the Spirit of God is speaking to some families:
\nYour way is not closed. You will not return in shame. You will not walk away with your head bowed down. God is going to lift you up. God is going to sustain you.
\nBut Peter had a weakness.
\nWhile walking, he looked around. He began to think about himself. The moment he shifted his focus from Jesus, he began to sink.
\nBut he sank only within reach of Jesus’ hand.
\nBefore water filled his mouth, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
\nAnd immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.
\nThere is a hand that belongs to the Lord. A hand that lifts people up. A hand that brings people safely to shore.
\n“Please pray for me. As soon as this service is over, I need to go to the airport for my flight. I need your prayers.”
\n“Holy God, Heavenly Father, we commit this church, Your servant, his family, the children, and every family represented here into Your mighty hands. In the name of Jesus Christ, I bless them and pray for them. May this church awaken this city. May Your servant, his family, Your people, and Your ministers be led together into a great spiritual harvest. In the name of Jesus Christ, I bless them and pray.
\nIn the name of Jesus Christ,
\nAmen.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"