HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 266
page A264
Presence of God continued
When are we afraid of the presence of the Lord?
• G E NE S I S 3 :8 | The man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So
they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
The presence of sin in our lives causes us to fear the presence of the Lord, for he will
surely find us out.
• Z E P H A NI A H 1 :7 | Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome
day of the Lord’s judgment is near. (See note on page 836.)
To walk into God’s presence with a heart bent toward sin is to invite the Lord’s
judgment.
Will God ever reject or abandon me?
• G E NE S I S 3 7 :2 8 | So when the [traders] came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the
cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. (See note on page 37.)
• G E NE S I S 3 9 :3 | “The Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.”
Sometimes we feel like everyone is against us, but God is always for us because he loves
us with a deep and lasting love. Even if all others abandon us, God never will abandon
those who sincerely seek after him.
• 1 S A MU E L 1 2 :2 2 | The Lord will not abandon his people.
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God will never desert those who trust in him and love him. When you feel abandoned,
don’t give up on God.
• J O H N 4 :1 0 | Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are
speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
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Jesus did not reject the sinful Samaritan woman; instead, he showed her acceptance by
offering her living water. Jesus will never reject anyone who comes to him to be cleansed
from sin.
• J O H N 8 :1 0 -1 1 | “Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus
said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (See note on page 963.)
God rejects the sin without rejecting the sinner.
• J O H N 6 :3 7 | “Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.”
The Lord accepts all who come to him in faith.
Is there anything people can do that would get God to abandon them?
• 1 S A MU E L 1 6 :1 4 | Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul . . . (See note on page 259.)
• 2 C H R O NI C L E S 2 4 :2 0 | “You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!”
The only time God abandons someone is when that person first abandons him, willfully,
continuously, and completely.
PROMISES FROM GOD
• MAT T H E W 2 8 :2 0 | “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
• PSA L M 1 4 5 :1 8 | The Lord is close to all who call on him.
Pressure See Adversity; Conflict; Stress
Pretending See also Convictions; Excuses; Honesty & Integrity; Motives;
Self-Esteem
When children play “pretend,” they almost always pretend to be someone great—a heroic
firefighter, a brave soldier, a brilliant astronaut, or a caring schoolteacher. Their games of
pretend are innocent enough and, in fact, might inspire them to greatness. This kind of
pretending is healthy, but somewhere between childhood and adulthood, the innocence