A kiss from God each day keeps the devil away

I listened to a sermon today, triggering me to write this down.

Don’t get me wrong - the sermon was presented well and had good points. The theme was ‘By His Spirit’ and the points were to be a doer of the Word, not to grieve the Holy Spirit, and to trust Him, which will all keep us on track and away from sin.

As I was thinking about the sermon, I realized that those points are all good, but the greatest key to overcoming the flesh and everything connected to it was missing. It is to have experienced and to continue to experience His presence. I call it a kiss of God. This kiss can be anything from hearing His voice, receiving a miracle, healing, or just everyday little blessings, getting confirmation from a friend, opening the Bible to the just right Scripture you needed, getting an answer to a question in a YouTube sermon (I love that because it shows me how large the arm of God is, in time and distance), an unspoken desire fulfilled before you can even ask, a Scripture revelation, a correction, a provision, a divine intervention, or just as small as God helping you with some daily chores and pointing out things you missed or could do better. I love them all, and I call them kisses from God because they show me in a very special and intimate way that I am loved by Him and that I am His child.

Being touched by His abundant love and care touches me anew each time, as it did when I first met Him. The first time was overwhelmingly impressive to me that the God of the universe would bother to talk to me, as rotten and broken as I was. I’ve been talking with Him ever since. And I’m still amazed!

So, as I walk carefully aware of His presence in my life, I end up being in constant fellowship with Him, asking for directions and including Him in everything. The Bible calls this abiding in Him. When I abide in Him, I long for more of Him at all times because His presence empowers me to go above and beyond my own capability. It grows my faith and fills me with His love and joy. At the same time, my love for Him grows, and I do everything not to disappoint Him.

I truly believe that God has those blessings/kisses for us all the time, but not everybody recognizes them or even believes that God would bless/kiss us. But yes, He does! Some say this is not the norm for a Christian life because they do not experience it. Too many people take it as a given that God doesn’t talk at all to humans, so they don’t even try to hear Him. It’s such a misconception. Sadly, with this mindset, we cannot live the life God has provided for us. I know many of them, God misses out on them, and they miss out on God and so much more in life. Many fail or fall away and are lukewarm instead of being on fire for Christ. They struggle to overcome the flesh and everything connected to it, living on the battlefield daily, trying to overcome instead of being set free.

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

As they go from one Bible study to the next, from one bestseller book to the next, and from one reading plan to the next, they are trying their best but never live the life God intended for us because they miss out on the biggest blessing given to us - the Living Word of God! It is one thing to drag through the weekly questions and the pressure to complete them, and it’s a totally different one to open the Book of Books and fellowship with our Creator in a personal, individual manner, looking to Him for answers and wanting to get to know Him better. In thirty years of walking with Him, I have not gotten used to it yet, finding an answer to life’s question the moment I open my Bible. His love, presence, and care wreck me anew each time.

Instead of saying that it’s not the norm to hear from God, we should all get so hooked, craving God’s moves, that everything else falls in place, meaning it becomes less important and second place, or even more behind. Then, we can learn to hear His voice more often and become more aware of Him. That is walking in the Spirit! There is nothing more precious than His presence. It changes everything!

No one who abides in Him sins. (1 John 3:6)

We can do all the right things, applying the Word of God to our lives, trying not to grieve God, and wanting to trust Him more. If it only comes from our inspiration because God says so, it can easily become a religious procedure. But when God is present, we are changed by passion, zeal, and love for Him to want to do right. We strive to do what He asks of us, can’t bear to disappoint or grieve Him, and see that He is trustworthy, so we trust Him more.

We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Sometimes, it feels like God is not around, not answering, perhaps in the most desperate situations. When that happens, it’s not that God abandoned us, but He may have just stepped back to test our faith. Keep approaching Him, no matter what, and eventually, He will break the silence. Guaranteed!

As a closing thought, I share what I’ve learned over time: the more I see and appreciate His presence in my life, the more He pours out those blessings because I think He is actually thrilled to fill us up to overflowing. So, if you are not experiencing the presence of God in your life or are unaware of the Holy Spirit's voice within, I encourage you to keep pressing on and be thankful. Keep asking, keep searching, keep knocking, and most importantly, keep expecting.

Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? (James 4:5)

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