{"id":1213,"date":"2025-02-17T19:34:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T19:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/?page_id=1213"},"modified":"2025-04-14T16:23:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T16:23:18","slug":"practice-the-presence-of-god-lesson-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/practice-the-presence-of-god-lesson-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Practice the Presence of God – Lesson #3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Practice the Presence of God<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chuck Hill, D.Min.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

chuckhilltoday.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowing Down And Looking Up<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership is a relentless journey filled with demands, decisions, and distractions. The pressures of guiding others can pull us in a hundred different directions, making it easy to equate leadership with constant motion. But true strength doesn\u2019t come from endless striving\u2014it comes from abiding in God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 46:10 reminds us: \u201cBe still, and know that I am God.\u201d<\/strong> In a world that glorifies busyness, this command challenges us to slow down and remember that leadership is not about how much we do, but about how well we remain connected to the One who leads us. Before we can effectively lead others, we must first learn to lead ourselves. This begins by discovering our identity in Christ, discerning His purpose for us, and developing godly character\u2014not through frantic activity but through intentional seeking. As Paul writes in Acts 17:28<\/strong>, \u201cIn Him we live and move and have our being.\u201d<\/strong> Our ability to lead well is directly tied to our ability to dwell in His presence continuously. The more we cultivate an awareness of Him, the more we gain clarity, peace, and wisdom beyond our own understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strength Through Stillness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moses understood this principle deeply. When tasked with leading Israel, he declared to God, \u201cIf Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here\u201d<\/strong> (Exodus 33:15<\/strong>). Moses refused to move without God\u2019s direction, setting a powerful example for leaders today\u2014before making decisions, casting vision, or taking action, we must first ensure that we are aligned with Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus also modeled this dependence on the Father. Despite the pressures of His ministry, He often withdrew to solitary places to pray<\/strong> (Luke 5:16<\/strong>). His strength didn\u2019t come from relentless activity but from abiding in intimate communion with God. If the Son of God prioritized stillness before action, how much more should we? When we neglect time in God\u2019s presence, we risk leading in our own strength\u2014a strength that will always fall short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Contemporary Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christian author and pastor Pete Scazzero emphasizes, \u201cThe greatest gift you can give those you lead is your own transformation.\u201d<\/em> When we slow down to be with Jesus, He transforms us, equipping us to lead from a place of spiritual health rather than exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ways to Practice God\u2019s Presence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Prioritize Time with Him <\/strong>\u2014 Before leading others, spend time alone with God (Matthew 6:6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Quiet Your Heart <\/strong>\u2014 Create space to listen instead of constantly speaking (1 Kings 19:12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Invite Him Into Every Moment <\/strong>\u2014 Acknowledge His presence throughout the day, not just in prayer times (Proverbs 3:6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Rest in His Peace <\/strong>\u2014 Leadership can be overwhelming, but His presence brings stillness to our souls (Philippians 4:7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Lead from a Place of Overflow<\/strong> \u2014 When you are filled with God\u2019s presence, you naturally lead with wisdom and grace (John 7:38).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great leadership isn\u2019t about constantly doing\u2014it\u2019s about consistently abiding. When we prioritize God\u2019s presence, we gain the strength, clarity, and peace needed to lead well. So today, pause. Be still. Acknowledge His presence.<\/strong> Lead not from depletion, but from the overflow of time spent with Him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Practice the Presence of God Chuck Hill, D.Min. chuckhilltoday.com Slowing Down And Looking Up Leadership is a relentless journey filled with demands, decisions, and distractions. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1213","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1213"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1661,"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1213\/revisions\/1661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}