“Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”  John 14:22-24

The word manifest here comes from the Greek word, emphanidzo.  A combination of “in” and “to cause to shine”.  It is Jesus revealing Himself to you.  I have talked on here many times how in the Old Testament God showed Himself to people by visiting them and giving them an assignment.  When Jesus came, died, resurrected and ascended into Heaven, God was changing His personal accessibility to us.  So much so, that when you accept/believe what Christ did for you on the cross, the way is opened for Him to emphanidzo Himself to you.  To dwell in and to cause to shine.  He makes His home in you, not around you or visits you like a neighbor in time of trouble or to sit and visit and then leave again until the next encounter.  No! He is no longer your neighbor or a far-off God.  He is IN you, in your own home, in your own skin, shining through.

What a comfort that is.  I don’t have to perform well to earn His company, I don’t have to coerce or beg or manipulate Him to come and see me.  He is in me.  He is in me.  He is in me.

I was recently going through a time when I needed to make a tough decision.  This decision affected my entire family.  As I was in the throes of it all I kept hearing all of the “what-ifs” being thrown at me.  What-if this happens?  What-if that happens?  What-if the worst happens?  What-if the best happens?  What-if I make the wrong decision?  What-if I miss God?  What-if He has something there for me and I say no?  What-if He doesn’t want me there and I say yes?  You know the scenario…it was maddening.  In the middle of the madness I heard my loving Father speak to me…”not What-If, but WITH.”

I have learned that I cannot control the what-ifs of life.  That means I cannot count on them and I cannot be afraid of them.  What I can count on, hope in and know is that He is always WITH me.  So, when that What-If mess screams at you, you roar back with all authority, WITH, WITH, WITH!!

AND remind that trespasser,

• God said it, “ For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Heb 13:5
• Jesus said it,”I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20
• The Holy Spirit is it,”If you love Me, keep  My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”  John 14

As you go about your day today and forward through your life remember…”not What-If, but WITH.”  When you see that He is with you, you know that you can face the past because He never left you, you can face the future because He is already there and you can face today because He is with you, He is in you and you face all things together.

When our daughter, Eden, died, I cannot tell you how many people said to me I don’t know how you did it.  I could never lose a child…  And yes, it is the complete nightmare that you think it would be, but I always tell people, the grace of God to handle any given situation meets you in the moment.  It does not meet you in the what-ifs of life, because He does not live in the What-Ifs.  He lives in you.  What-ifs are vain imaginations.  God is real.  He is in the moment.  He is With you.  That is how you make it through every nightmare that presents itself and live to tell about it.  It is With Him alone.

There is an amazing Well within you my friend.  He is living water!  Partake with me today!

Mel