Have you ever experienced an electric fence?

When my oldest granddaughter, Karyn, was a baby, I was invited to speak at a church in a rural community. They booked a room for me in a gorgeous bed and breakfast in the middle of farmland. The land adjacent to the house was a pasture with cows and a donkey. Saturday morning Wayne brought Karyn and joined me for the remainder of the meetings.

That evening we strolled along the electric fence to let Karyn see the animals. The friendly donkey saw us and started walking toward us so we stopped. The donkey didn’t  stop. He touched the fence with his nose and had what we Southerner’s call a “hissy fit!”

Maybe he wanted to be fed or petted; or perhaps he had never encountered the fence before, but when he touched that fence his pain was plain. He stood there and brayed and brayed and brayed just glaring at us. He didn’t stop braying until we walked away.YOu can listen to this via podcast or online. Click here to listen.

So, when I read Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman’s “electric fence” story in her book “Mommy Power,” I could relate. (It’s such an encouraging book! Light reading, but full of good stuff. The prayer at the end of each chapter is powerful. I will read it again.) She was a bona fide city slicker that spent her summers growing up with her cousins on their farm in Iowa. They raised cows and pigs along with alfalfa and corn. Because they knew so little about the culture of farming, their cousins loved to play tricks on her and her brother, Bobby.

Like our experience, she had witnessed the power of an electric fence and knew to keep her distance. But one morning her cousin, Arie, announced, “I’m wearing rubber soled shoes, so I can touch that fence and not get shocked. You’re wearing rubber-soled shoes and you won’t get shocked if you touch the fence. She was convinced this was another setup for one of his jokes. So she refused. Arie continued, “Watch.” Then he reached out and grabbed the fence. When Arie invited her to touch the fence too, she was too suspicious to agree. “Then take me hand,” Arie suggested. She cautiously touched his fingertip. When nothing happened she grasped his hand.

She giggled with relief and invited Bobby, who was wearing tennis shoes to join them. No shock, not even a tingle! No one was paying any attention to the least little cousin who had been watching barefooted nearby. That is until she wrapped her fingers around Bobby’s hand. Her older brother felt it first and hollered in pain, then Sheila yelped, followed by Bobby and then finally the little cousin who had created the path for the electricity to flow with un-insulated little feet.

Dr. Sheila draws this powerful parallel, “Without being connected to a power source, we will run out of energy, we will run out of power, we will lose our strength to be the mother we want to be.” Amen! I love that illustration!

I have ruminated (That’s a good “farming” word. It’s what cows do with their cud.) that story again and again for several weeks now. But my take away, the words I keep hearing in my spirit, is…”Don’t come into my presence with your shoes on!”

Let me explain.

It easy to discount the Presence of God. (Please don’t do that!) As long as the children had their shoes on, they felt nothing. But, when that one little girl walked up and took their hand, they all felt the power.

I want to be that little girl.

I want to be the person that has a hold on God’s power and Presence in such a way that it is felt by those I touch.

I love God’s Presence

Let me be clearer. I am desperate for God’s Presence! There are many areas of my life that I walk by faith; ways that I walk out God’s Word simply because it is the final authority in my life. Yet, my desperation propels me to go after God’s Presence. I experience God’s Presence regularly…

At home

at church

in my car.

when I walk.

I experience His Presence where ever I take off my shoes to honor and welcome His presence. Moses saw the burning bush. He came closer. But God said, “Take your shoes off.” It was an act of submission, honor and obedience.

Don’t be content with only knowing the Word of God.

The Word of God is so important. I am hungry to know the Word of God. It is a priority in my life, but so is the Presence of God. Maybe you say, “Calm down Pat, God is always with us!” And I agree. He is omnipresent like the air.

Yett I want to remind you that there is also an indwelling presence of God that we experience when we accept His free gift of salvation. What a difference His indwelling Presence has made in my life.

As a little girl I discovered that I could experience His manifest presence too! I realized that He wanted me to feel His power and love in a very powerful way! And I’m hooked!

Maybe you’re saying in your heart, “Then why don’t I feel Him?” I am confident of this one thing: “God doesn’t hide Himself from us. He hides Himself for us.” Sometimes He hides Himself so we will seek Him with all our heart. So, we will seek Him like a miner searches for gold.

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29 NIV

Take your shoes off.

Sometimes we approach Him wearing shoes that insulate us. Shoes of…

• unbelief
• fear
• rebellion
• pride
• self-sufficiency
• the feeling of being satisfied
• sin .

Ask Precious Holy Spirit.

What shoes am I wearing that prevent me from experiencing your Holy Presence?

Humble your heart.

Receive the truth. Repent. Take off your shoes and grab the fence…

ah, I mean open your heart and pour out your worship and faith to experience His presence in greater and greater ways than ever before.

Father, bless my dear friends. Stir our hearts. Create spiritual hunger in our hearts to know Your Word better and to experience your Presence and power so we can be vessels that your can pour your love and grace through and out into our world so people will see Jesus!  

 

Thank you for joining me  for another chat about what God is sharing with me.If you enjoyed my stories please share this link with your friends. What an easy way to bless someone.

Here’s another link on God’s PresenceFullness of Joy