How to Touch the Presence of God: 3 Practical Steps for Communion

Who has ever been frustrated about spiritual things?

Let me be the first to raise my hand to that! When I was newly saved, it seemed that some super-spiritual believers seemed to know something I didn’t. Most of the churches I attended had a few of these “have” individuals, but many of us, in my opinion, appeared to be “have-nots.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. Although I was a very cerebral person, I did have some experience feeling the presence of God, hearing His voice, and enjoying a newfound love for Jesus. So, it wasn’t hopeless—just limited!

A revival broke out in Toronto, Canada, after I had been a believer for a number of years. Although I traveled there several times hoping to receive a spiritual impartation, it never happened. Others were falling, shaking, experiencing visitations of the Spirit, and I don’t know what else, but I just watched, an outsider looking in.

When we lined up to be prayed over, one of the prayer ministers commented to me that the anointing was coming back on her because I wasn’t receiving. Double and triple frustration! Later I learned that the Toronto church had coined the term HTR for people like me—Hard to Receive. Great, now had now earned a label!

In spite of being clueless, I was hungry for God.

The fruit of the Spirit was a profound mystery to me during this time. Based on what I had been taught, I believed the fruit of the Spirit grew as the result of godly character. But how could I actually tell if I had any? And how does godly character grow anyway? By trying harder to obey God’s commandments? Spending more time in prayer? Reading the Bible more? Doing good deeds? I lived in low-grade anxiety most of the time; so much so that, when we first met, Dennis, my soon-to-be husband, called me “little Much Afraid” after the main character in Hannah Hurnard’s book, Hinds’ Feet on High Places.

The fruit of the Spirit was more of a mental concept than an experience for me. The feeling of peace was elusive. Joy was likewise perplexing. Was it like the excitement I had felt about birthday parties as a child? How could we recapture that feeling as an adult? It seemed baffling, but I wanted it. When an intriguing flyer arrived in the mail announcing an upcoming women’s conference on the joy of the Lord, I registered posthaste.

Sadly, the conference turned out to be a major disappointment. The speakers mostly taught what the Bible said about joy. I had read those Scripture verses for myself already. One woman said she had experienced supernatural joy once, but didn’t know how she got “it” or if “it” would ever happen again. Apparently no one had joy, or knew how to get any!

Years later Dennis and I met at a Christian conference in Jacksonville, Florida, where we were both attending as intercessors. He was a single pastor from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I was a widowed Christian counselor from Waycross, Georgia.

In one of our meetings, a young woman, suddenly had an emotional meltdown and began weeping on the floor. At first, no one helped her, but Dennis soon went over to her and bent down beside her on one knee.

Dennis led her in praying through multiple emotional wounds. One at a time, he addressed each new area that came up. Only after she felt true deep relief did Dennis move on to another issue. Astonishingly, it took only a few minutes to address each area of fear or hurt. All the intercessors were gathered around, watching in amazement.

I was blown away by how much emotional pain was dealt with and how fast the relief came to her. I had seen lots of counseling and psychological therapies over the years, but nothing like this. In under ten minutes The now-peaceful woman was standing on her feet, with a smile on her face. Wow! This is huge! I thought. This is the answer everyone is yearning for!

I felt like I had just witnessed the cure for “emotional cancer.” This was the missing ingredient needed to heal wounded people and a troubled church. Here, at long last, was the secret for healing emotional pain quickly and efficiently. Stunned by this rapid, visible transformation, the person in charge of the meeting stood with her mouth wide open and incredulously asked Dennis, “Who are you?”

Later at the conference I asked Dennis to pray for me. As we closed our eyes, I learned my first how-to lesson. Dennis told me to open my heart, which at first confused me because I was thinking of the physical heart. It took me a while to get his point. However, with a little more instruction, I began to understand what he was referring to. He told me to put my hand on my belly and yield to Messiah within. Belly? That was different. I had never connected heart and belly before, but John 7:38 (KJV) flashed in my mind: “He that believeth on Me [Jesus], as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (This concept is further explained in our book, Abiding in the Secret Place.)

I had always wondered why Jesus used the word belly here, but now I began to understand.

Prior to this, I had always thought my spiritual heart was in my chest where my physical heart was located, even though the Bible clearly said it was in the belly. Never before had I heard anyone tell someone to yield their heart, or where to yield, or how to yield. However, as I attempted to cooperate with what Dennis was telling me to do, he continually encouraged me, saying, “There, you’re doing it.” At the same time, I could actually feel the difference inside.

I don’t remember exactly what we prayed about, but looking back I can see that he led me through some how-tos for tangible change inside of me. I certainly didn’t catch the full significance of what I was learning at the time. However, it was obvious that Dennis had a unique anointing and profound spiritual authority, and he was teaching principles that were entirely new to me.

We soon became friends and, after a whirlwind romance, we were married.

Because I was so hungry for God but clueless, I asked Dennis to disciple me.

I didn’t learn anything else about joy until after Dennis and I were married. It was wonderful news to discover that he had the very answers I was seeking. One of the first evenings we prayed together, he asked me to get in an attitude of prayer. He told me to put my hand on my belly and yield to Messiah within.

Next, Dennis said, “Close your eyes and pray. That peace you’re feeling, that is supernatural peace—the peace of God. Now relax and yield even more to Jesus. That little bubble you’re feeling is supernatural joy, the fruit of the Spirit.”

By the way, because Dennis operates in a strong gifting of discerning of spirits, he was able to identify what I was feeling. Peace and joy are fruit of the Spirit. Now I had discovered that, far from being mysterious, we can tap into the fruit of the Spirit at any time! How marvelous! What a life-changing discovery!

As I also learned later, we emanate an anointing when we touch the presence of God. When believers are in a worship service, the atmosphere feels “worshipful” because of the anointing flowing from them. An anointing also flows through us when we open our hearts toward others and allow a river of love to flow to them. As a matter of fact, we can create a carnal or a spiritual emotional atmosphere around us that influences others, for good or bad.

Finding God

When I was a brand-new believer the Lord had quickened Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) to me and it delighted my heart: “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Find God? How thrilling! But how do you seek and search? Turning to books, I read everything I could find about the saints of old who had rich experiences with God. This began a quest to know more of God, finding Him in the secret place where He dwells. We encounter God there!

What is the main reason that believers, who are hungry for God, fail to commune with Him regularly in the secret place? They don’t know how!

I didn’t know how either—until I met my husband. And you know what? I later wrote down everything Dennis taught me so we could help other cerebral, frustrated, or HTR believers! Many believers have also judged themselves, or have been judged, as unspiritual. That is a tremendous hindrance to spiritual growth.

Practice

How to Touch the Presence of God

If you ever sat quietly in a church service and felt a special sense that God was near, you have touched His presence. That was not your imagination. Even unsaved people sometimes sense a “different” feeling in a church service or funeral when believers are present. That gentle awareness is actually the supernatural peace found in the secret place.

• Close your eyes.

• Focus on Jesus in the secret place within your heart. When you invited Jesus into your heart, you became indwelt by Him. He never leaves you. He is always near.

• Relax and silently praise or worship Him while you wait quietly for a few minutes. Most believers can sense a gentle difference. That difference is His presence in the secret place. If you feel nothing different or aren’t sure, don’t worry. Remember, the change is very subtle. Most believers grow in the ability to sense His closeness over time.