God is present in our lives every moment of the day, whether we recognize it or not. As we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6). How blessed we are as we stay constantly aware of His presence in our lives. Practicing the presence of God is one step we can take in renewing our minds according to His Word.
Romans 12:2:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We can make the decision to direct our thoughts away from the world and toward God. We can practice His presence, which helps us enjoy sweet fellowship with Him, our heavenly Father. Let’s look at three ways to practice the presence of God.
Our first way to practice the presence of God is to recognize that He is always present with us.
Psalm 139:1,7-10:
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Our God is omnipresent. He is in all places at all times. There is nowhere we can go where God is not able to reach us. Whether we go near or far, to familiar or unfamiliar environments, He never leaves us alone. Even in the simplest day-to-day routines we perform without thinking twice on, God is always there. It doesn’t matter if we’re in a situation that seems hopeless or in a place that seems terrifying—just as He is there in the morning when we begin our day, God stays ready to help us. He is always there, and we can keep our thoughts directed toward Him and His Word.
Our second way to practice the presence of God is to pray to our heavenly Father.
Daniel 9:3:
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications….
Jude 20:
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in [with] the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].
We are God’s children, and He loves us dearly. He wants us to commune with Him, not only by praying with our understanding like Daniel did, but also by praying in the spirit. Praying in the spirit is speaking in tongues in our private prayer life. Speaking in tongues edifies us spiritually, gives thanks well, magnifies God, opens our hearts to Him, and gives us a way to pray perfectly for our needs and the needs of others.
Our third way to practice the presence of God is to acknowledge Him in our actions.
Colossians 3:17,23,24:
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
We can perform any task throughout the day with this mind-set. Whether the task is big or small, knowing that we serve the Lord Christ, and ultimately God, motivates us to work with a mind-set of thankfulness. We work with our whole hearts not to please men but our heavenly Father. Whatever we do, we can do it for God, knowing His power and presence are in us and with us at all times.
Our God is always with us no matter where we go or what we do. We can practice His presence in these three ways: recognizing that He is always with us, praying to our heavenly Father by praying with our understanding and speaking in tongues, and acknowledging God in all that we do. These three ways help us practice the presence of God, which is one of the steps to renewing the mind. We can direct our thoughts away from the world and toward God. We can practice His presence, which helps us enjoy sweet fellowship with our heavenly Father and transform our lives by the renewing of our minds!