I Was Living FOR God's Presence Instead of FROM It
Share
The Revelation That Changed Everything About My Walk With God
How God Continued Revealing the Missing Piece
Last week, I shared something deeply personal in my blog, "The Missing Piece in My Walk With God".
For years, I faithfully loved God. I served in ministry. I led worship. I preached His Word. I remained committed through seasons of joy and seasons of pain. Yet even with all of that, there were times when I still felt as though something was missing.
As I spent more time in God's presence, He began uncovering what that missing piece was.
This week, that revelation became even clearer.
I realized that for much of my Christian life, I had been living "for" God's presence instead of living "from" God's presence.
At first glance, those two phrases may sound almost identical.
But they produce two completely different ways of walking with God.
That revelation has changed the way I pray.
The way I worship.
The way I serve.
The way I see myself.
And ultimately, the way I see God.
Living FOR God's Presence
For years, I believed my relationship with God depended on how well I performed.
If I prayed enough...
If I fasted enough...
If I served enough...
If I obeyed enough...
If I worshiped passionately enough...
Maybe then God would be pleased.
Maybe then He would trust me with more.
Maybe then I would experience His power in greater measure.
I would never have admitted it out loud, but deep inside, I was trying to earn things that had already been given through Christ.
I was trying to earn His acceptance.
His favor.
His blessing.
Even His presence.
I thought I had to become "good enough" before God could fully use me.
But that isn't the Gospel.
Then God Changed My Perspective
As I continued spending time with the Lord, He gently began correcting my thinking.
He reminded me that because of Jesus...
I am already accepted.
I am already loved.
I am already chosen.
I am already His daughter.
His presence isn't something I earn.
His presence is something I steward.
That truth changed everything.
I realized I had spent years trying to earn what Jesus had already purchased.
That revelation brought tremendous freedom.
No longer was I striving to convince God to love me.
I was learning to rest in the love He had already poured out.
No longer was I trying to qualify myself for His presence.
I was learning to honor the presence that already dwells within me.
What I had been working for...
Was already part of my inheritance.
It was my birthright.
Moses Shows Us the Difference
One of the passages the Lord highlighted for me this week was Exodus 3:1-6.
Moses was faithfully tending sheep when he noticed something unusual.
A bush was burning...
But it wasn't being consumed.
Instead of ignoring it, Moses turned aside to investigate.
When God saw that Moses turned aside, He called him by name.
"Moses, Moses."
Then came the instruction:
"Do not come any closer. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
For many years, I read that passage as though removing the sandals somehow qualified Moses to stand before God.
Now I see it differently.
Removing his sandals didn't earn God's presence.
God's presence was already there.
Removing his sandals was Moses' response to the holiness of the God who had already come near.
Preparation wasn't about convincing God to show up.
Preparation was about responding appropriately because He had already arrived.
That distinction is life changing.
God Dwells in Prepared Places
One of the central truths from this week's message is this:
God doesn't dwell in perfect places.
He dwells in prepared places.
There is a difference.
Perfection focuses on performance.
Preparation focuses on surrender.
God isn't searching for flawless people.
He's looking for yielded hearts.
He isn't asking us to prove ourselves worthy.
He's inviting us to make room for Him.
Throughout Scripture, we see this pattern repeatedly.
The priests consecrated themselves before ministering.
The Temple was dedicated before God's glory filled it.
The disciples waited together in the Upper Room before Pentecost.
Preparation has always preceded greater responsibility.
Not because preparation earns God's favor...
But because preparation positions us to steward His purpose.
Prepared for the Master's Use
Another passage that came alive this week was 2 Timothy 2:20-21.
Paul writes that if anyone cleanses himself from dishonorable things, he will become:
"A vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
Notice what Paul emphasizes.
Prepared.
Not perfect.
Prepared.
God delights in using prepared vessels.
Preparation isn't about trying to become worthy enough for God to notice us.
Preparation is our response to the One who already has.
As we surrender our hearts...
Our attitudes...
Our priorities...
Our desires...
God shapes us into vessels capable of carrying His glory well.
Living FROM God's Presence
This has become one of the greatest shifts in my own spiritual life.
When we live "for" God's presence...
We constantly feel like we're chasing the next encounter.
The next conference.
The next worship experience.
The next breakthrough.
The next emotional moment.
But when we begin living "from" God's presence...
Everything changes.
We wake up knowing He is already with us.
We pray from relationship instead of desperation.
We worship from gratitude instead of obligation.
We serve from overflow instead of exhaustion.
We minister from intimacy instead of insecurity.
Instead of asking,
"God, where are You?"
We begin living from the confidence that Christ lives within us.
His peace becomes our peace.
His wisdom becomes our wisdom.
His strength becomes our strength.
His presence becomes the atmosphere from which we live every day.
Preparation Always Precedes Purpose
One thing I've noticed throughout Scripture is that God often prepares people long before He publicly uses them.
Moses spent forty years in Midian.
David tended sheep before wearing a crown.
Joseph endured prison before leading a nation.
Jesus spent thirty years preparing before three years of public ministry.
Preparation is never wasted.
Often, it is in those hidden seasons that God develops the character necessary to sustain the calling He has placed on our lives.
He prepares us because purpose requires stewardship.
He prepares us because destiny requires maturity.
He prepares us because His glory deserves vessels that can carry it well.
A Personal Reflection
As I reflect on this season of my own life, I realize God has been doing exactly that.
He hasn't simply been giving me new assignments.
He's been preparing me for them.
He's been changing how I think.
How I pray.
How I lead.
How I wait.
How I trust.
He's been teaching me that His greatest gift isn't simply what He does for me.
His greatest gift is Himself.
Everything else flows from there.
🤔 A Moment of Reflection
As you spend time with the Lord this week, consider these questions:
- Am I striving to earn what Christ has already provided?
- Do I approach God as a servant trying to gain approval, or as a beloved son or daughter?
- Am I living for God's presence, or from His presence?
- What areas of my heart is God preparing for greater purpose?
- How can I intentionally cultivate an atmosphere where His presence is welcomed every day?
🙏 Go Deeper in Prayer
This week's Monday Morning Prayer & The Word begins our July series:
Cultivating an Atmosphere for God
Week One: God Dwells in Prepared Places
Together we'll discover why preparation always precedes purpose, how God prepares hearts before assignments, and what it truly means to become a vessel prepared for the Master's use.
☕ Ministry Resource
If this message encouraged you, I invite you to continue growing with us each Monday during Monday Morning Prayer & The Word on the Crystal Harvey Ministries YouTube Channel.
Our desire is simple:
To help believers cultivate God's presence, grow in His Word, and live lives that bring Him glory.
🙏 Stay Connected
Continue growing with us through:
- Monday Morning Prayer & The Word
- Biblical encouragement and weekly blog posts
- Worship experiences
- Resources designed to help you deepen your relationship with God
🔥 Final Thought
One of the greatest revelations the Lord has given me is this:
Preparation doesn't earn God's presence.
It prepares us to steward His purpose.
Because of Jesus, we don't spend our lives trying to earn God's love.
We don't have to strive for His acceptance.
We don't have to fight for an inheritance that has already been secured.
Instead...
We prepare our hearts.
We surrender our lives.
We cultivate an atmosphere where His presence is welcomed.
And from that place of intimacy...
We live.
Not "for" His presence.
But "from" it.
☕ A Cup of Worship
"Enjoy His Presence Daily"
Psalm 16:11