The creation. I love the sky, clouds, the sun, moon and stars. I want to get into the habit of praising God for anything that is in my mind or that I see or smell or feel or hear. They are all works and gifts of God. God provides for all, believers and unbelievers alike. Jesus said, ‘He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.’ (Matt 5:45) Paul said to unbelievers: ‘[God] did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.’ (Acts 14: 17) Simply take a couple of minutes to stop, close your eyes if it’s comfortable, and direct your attention to God’s presence with you. Thank Him for being with you, and talk with Him for a moment. Tell Him whatever’s on your mind. Take a couple of deep breaths, and simply rest in the knowledge that He is with you right now, before going on with your day with a continued awareness of His presence. We can see this throughout the Bible. Before Saul could become king, the presence of the Lord filled him up, and he became a different person. Sometimes we forget that Jesus was man, a real blood and flesh. Yes, it is true that He too was God, but it’s profoundly important that we understand that the humanness of Jesus. He was and is a human being. He was like us.

Being intentional about practicing the presence of God will lead to an overflow of the desire to please God. 11. Helps us to fulfill our destiny We can never escape God’s presence, and we can never invite him to be present. He is present everywhere, and he is present before we are present. Instead he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! Philippians 2:7 The Passion Translation (TPT) So for the Christian reading this, you and I both know that many times when we try to create a discipline that’ll build our relationship with God, often that discipline will become a work in our lives and not a result of love.Being consistent in our relationship with God and constantly spending time in His presence will cause us to mature. It will also cause us to become stable in our faith. Practicing the presence of God is about turning all of your life experience into a prayer. Nothing you face in life is exempt from surrender to Jesus. With that, I’ve come to realize that seeking God’s kingdom FIRST opens so many doors to “practicing” God’s presence. I’m reminded of when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. He said to say, “your kingdom come.” It’s inviting God’s kingdom to invade our space so we can see, taste and know He is GOOD. To meet God in everyday life, to be aware of being in the presence of God all the time, is not subjective experientialism, it is reality. To be aware of being in the presence of God all the time, is not subjective experientialism, it is reality.

I highly recommend a little book that played a big part in my journey towards this idea of Christian mindfulness. The Practice of the Presence of God is a collection of letters and conversations with a 17th-century French monk named Brother Lawrence.

Intentional Integration

Brother Lawrence spent a lot of time cooking and cleaning in the kitchen, and he was just as aware of the presence of God with him in these menial tasks as he was in prayer. I believe that’s exactly what is available to us when we simply turn our attention to God’s presence when we’re in the middle of everyday activities like household chores, work, exercise, and even eating.