HOW TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S PRESENCE 100 WAYS TO CONNECT WITH GOD BY DONNA REKITT
THE STRESS BUSTER COACH
Hey Stressbuster, A major key to stress-free living and to having a lifestyle of peace, joy and rest is to practice God’s presence all the time. It is a major key to victory. You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14 Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace (the peace of His kingdom) at all times and in all ways [under all circumstances and conditions, whatever comes]. The Lord [be] with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Everything we need is found in His presence! Of course, God is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere all the time. Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? says the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24
What we are after is the manifest presence of God where His presence is clear. We can practice this by becoming more God inside minded. Since He is always available and always present, it is us who needs to make the connection spiritually to Him. It is us who needs to turn inward to engage with Him, to tune into Him being there and seeing Him in the everyday moments of life. The more we practice it the easier and more automatic it will become. Practicing His presence doesn’t have to be reading your Bible and praying. It doesn’t need to be special set aside time for Him. Although I encourage all of that, we don’t want to separate our lives into spiritual sections and secular sections. We want it all to be permeated by God. We don’t just want His presence in the morning during our quiet time, we want and need it all day long.
Becoming more aware of God’s constant presence and interacting with Him will be a major piece to you busting through stress, worry and fear because in His presence you find peace, joy and rest. You find the answer to every problem. You’ll find victory. So what could that look like in your every day life? How can you keep it from getting stale? How can you make it work with different personalities and likes/dislikes? Let me share with you 100 ways! Pick the ones that fit you best. ©The Stress Buster Coach 2019
www.thestressbustercoach.com
His Presence Outdoors & In Science 1. Go for a prayer walk around your neighborhood, praying for each neighbor individually by name 2. Lay on a hammock or lounge chair and thank God for rest
3. Read the Bible outside next to a body of water 4. Worship God while watching a sunrise or sunset 5. Read and memorize Bible verses that tell of nature declaring the glory of God (Psalm 19, Job 38-41) 6. Learn about creation through videos such as this one from Louie Giglio “How Great is Our God” 7. Lay down in the grass and look at the clouds, reflect on the vastness of the sky and even the universe and yet God knows you so intimately that He knows how many hairs you have on your head (Luke 12:7) 8. Sing songs about God and nature (such as So Will I - this video touches my heart with images of nature) 9. Meditate on God’s majesty while going on a hike; be inspired by the diversity of the trees, flowers,
animals and the rocks–if we don’t praise Him, they will! 10. Learn about science and the depth of the detail we are created in
His Presence Using Your Senses 11. Listen to worship music from all different countries and get a preview of heaven, praising God with brothers and sisters from “every tribe and every tongue” 12. Make up a tune for your favorite Scripture or fit your Scripture into an existing tune
13. Light a candle during your devotions or use spices to create an incense to engage your smell in the act of worship as well (read about God’s own signature incense in the Tabernacle in Exodus 30:34-38) 14. Consider worship-producing art by meditating on God’s truth as revealed in the art (painting, sculpture, film, music, dance, etc) 15. Make art as an act of worship 16. If you play an instrument, have a private time of worship by playing for an audience of One 17. Pray in various positions: standing, sitting, kneeling, dancing, laying face-down, walking 18. Eat a meal and imagine what food will be served at the marriage feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9)
19. Find historic, beautiful cathedrals open to the public and spend time in personal prayer there 20. When reading a Bible passage imagine the scene in your mind: listen for the waves, feel the scorching sun on your face, taste the fish, hear the thunder, smell the smoke… become one of the characters in the story or a bystander and recreate the scene in your mind
©The Stress Buster Coach 2019
www.thestressbustercoach.com
His Presence in Solitude and Simplicity 21. Meet with God on the beach early in the morning for prayer while the world is still asleep 22. Read your Bible with no devotion book, commentary or video; just you, your Bible and the Holy Spirit
23. Practice periods of silence by not speaking AND silencing your thoughts, your phone, TV and music 24. Come to God in prayer with no agenda and ask Him what He wants to talk about; see where your thoughts lead to 25. Clean out a closet or your house and donate items to the poor; “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' (Matthew 25:45) 26. Practice cleaning out the stones that are blocking your living water (as described in my Stop the Overwhelm free course) 27. Get away from others and your to-do list on a mini retreat. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) 28. Dance like no one is watching (because they aren’t if you are in solitude) in total abandon to your God 29. Sign up for an hour of a prayer watch in the middle of the night. 30. Keep Christmas simple with a focus on Jesus’ presence not presents
His Presence in the Troubles of This World 31. When you read or watch heart-breaking news, reflect on God’s faithfulness despite the evils of the world and ask Him to comfort, strengthen, and intervene in the situation
32. Adopt a child from another country to sponsor and write to 33. Seek an older woman who can pray and talk you through seasons of your life 34. Research current legislature that’s being discussed in your state and national congress, and pray for those issues as they come up for debate and vote 35. Serve Jesus at a place that is not lovely, fun and easy 36. Write a letter to your congressman asking for their intervention in the release and relief of persecuted Christians around the world (for ideas of what to say, check out persecution.org) 37. Participate in fundraisers that help rescue trafficked women and children, provide care for orphans, help widows support themselves, offer encouragement to terminally ill patients, etc 38. Pray for your city as you drive around running errands 39. Wherever you go, sit next to the loneliest person in the room and show them they’re valued in Christ 40. Spend some time prayer-journaling what causes are heavy on your heart, then research organizations that aid in that way and prayerfully consider how you can get involved with others who are doing kingdom work
©The Stress Buster Coach 2019
www.thestressbustercoach.com
His Presence in Serving Others 41. Adopt a college student that doesn’t have family nearby. Help them get groceries, medical attention and join you for meals when they can’t go home for the holidays
42. Volunteer to work in your church nursery, pray blessings over the children 43. Visit an elderly member of your church and ask them to tell you stories of God’s faithfulness in their life over some baked goods that you brought with you 44. Join a prayer team at your church and pray for the needs of your congregation 45. Volunteer to babysit someone’s kids so they can have a date night 46. Pick a missionary family your church supports and get to know them; send them birthday cards, small care packages, pray for them, and look for practical ways to encourage them 47. Volunteer at nursing homes, hospitals or vet centers to listen to people who need to talk
48. Take a meal to a new mom or someone who’s going through a long-term illness 49. Donate toys to a family that can’t afford them at Christmas 50. Write a letter of encouragement to a persecuted brother or sister in Christ who is imprisoned for their faith (you can check out Voice of the Martyrs for more information)
His Presence in Mystery and Celebration 51. Write down significant dreams and talk them over with God and someone you trust 52. Celebrate your day of salvation yearly like you do your natural birthday
53. Do something nice for others without them knowing who it was 54. Learn about the meaning behind all the Feasts and Celebrations God gave the Israelites 55. Read about where they think Noah’s Ark currently is or where the Ark of the Covenant might be hidden 56. Learn about the significance of each piece of the Tabernacle and how it foretold what would happen on the cross 57. Read about the pre-Adam civilization or the Nephilim 58. Make Easter a major celebration and build up to it with reminders of what Jesus endured for us and what He accomplished by His death and resurrection
59. Go through old picture albums and reflect on how God moved in different seasons of your life; think about people He used, conversations that drew you closer to Him, successes and failures, special events 60. Be the first to celebrate what God is doing in your life and in others’ by throwing dinner parties, writing cards of congratulations, sharing others’ good news on social media (with their permission, of course), and dancing wildly around the house because of God’s miracles
©The Stress Buster Coach 2019
www.thestressbustercoach.com
His Presence in Adoration 61. Write a paragraph or two about all of God’s wonderful qualities as if He was a guest that you were introducing to come on stage at an event, telling the audience why they should listen to Him 62. Read an account of Jesus’ crucifixion from the Bible or a book that provides more details (like What
Really Happened When Christ Died) or watch the The Passion of the Christ movie and be reminded of what He endured for you and thank Him for it 63. Dress up for church as you would if going to visit the Queen or the President 64. Ask God what you can do for Him today 65. Bow low, lie on your face, kneel or raise your hands in adoration as you pray or worship 66. Once a day intentionally tell someone else something you appreciate about God 67. Write out your testimony of how you were saved and thank Him again for doing it 68. Moving beyond what God does, take time to reflect on who He is; read Scripture on His holiness, love,
compassion, patience, righteousness, faithfulness, etc 69. Go a whole week without asking for anything but just praising Him every time you think of Him 70. Learn a new name for God from Scripture each week and see how often you can find ways to use it
His Presence and Your Mind 71. Write down 15-20 observations on the Bible text you’re reading (go deep—the first few are easiest but the last ones are the most rewarding) 72. Use a commentary when studying a passage to gain a broader understanding of the text
73. Find other Christians who are interested in ethics and doctrine and discuss what you believe; challenge each other to question assumptions and go deeper, but always with grace and truth 74. Ask God lots of questions like a young child 75. Take notes during a sermon 76. Memorize scripture 77. Listen to podcasts or sermons while driving or working out
78. Pick a topic that interests you and spend a year studying it; read each Bible reference, listen to sermons on it, read books on it, talk to others about it, write your thoughts on it, watch movies about it; ask the Holy Spirit to teach you about that topic through events in your own life 79. Pick an area of theology and learn more about why you believe what you believe 80. Take online Bible college classes
©The Stress Buster Coach 2019
www.thestressbustercoach.com
His Presence in Community with Others 81. Go to church, worship as the body of Christ in unity 82. Take someone to lunch and ask them what God is doing in their life right now 83. Follow up with people you’ve said you’ll pray for and ask them for updates 84. Join a small group at your church 85. Take a stand with a group of others for a cause that honors God such as pro-life or religious freedom 86. Do a group fast and share with each other what God shows you during that time 87. Attend a concert or conference 88. Join a Facebook group of other Christians where you can ask for prayer, share praise reports and contin-
ually have notifications pop up of Christ-centered living reminders and strategies such as The Stress Buster Coach group 89. Read the Bible in community with other believers 90. Offer to host a Bible study or prayer group in your home
His Presence in Ritual, Tradition and Symbol 91. Read Scripture from an old family Bible 92. Have a set spot that you meet with God each day—a chair or spot on the couch 93. Study the history of the church to learn how God has been working throughout the ages 94. Celebrate significant days in the church calendar like Lent, Pentecost, Advent, etc 95. Pray before meals or before bed, any established time you choose every day 96. Create a tradition on family members’ birthdays to say a blessing over them 97. Learn the significance of the various Easter and Christmas symbols we use such as a candy cane 98. Take communion as a couple or as a family weekly to remember Jesus’ death and what He actually accomplished on the cross. Communion doesn’t have to be just in church! 99. Hold a baptismal celebration for a family member who is getting baptized 100. Fast a meal or a few days and spend that eating time in the presence of God
©The Stress Buster Coach 2019
www.thestressbustercoach.com
Practicing the presence of God involves both constant contact with Him throughout every day and special set aside times of waiting on God. It isn’t so much what you do but your heart behind each thing you do. You can do something super spiritual and have it be less rewarding than doing the dishes with God if you are just going through the motions and not making it an opportunity to experience Him.
Practicing the presence of God is about becoming more aware of the fact that He is always accessible and that He is closer than you can imagine. You aren’t trying to find Him or convince Him to show up. You are tuning into Him and welcoming Him into your everyday life.
It’s training yourself to turn to Him first in every situation and expecting to hear from Him. Expect that His presence will make all the difference in your day. The very power that made the universe is right inside you and He wants to have an intimate relationship with you. Don’t take it for granted or miss such an amazing opportunity!
“for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!] “ Hebrews 13:5 AMPC
When we practice the presence of God, we don’t wait until we have tried everything we know to do and when that has failed, finally think to get Him involved. No, we get Him involved with everything from the beginning.
I encourage you to listen to this song When You Walk Into the Room When You walk into the room Everything changes Darkness starts to tremble At the light that You bring And when You walk into the room Every heart starts burning And nothing matters more Than just to sit here at Your feet and worship you.
©The Stress Buster Coach 2019
www.thestressbustercoach.com