Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus has commissioned us to go win souls and make disciples but He says don’t go without Me. At the very end of the commission, He says I will always be with you. As we live our lives, Jesus has commissioned us to have this purpose to win souls and make disciples. Jesus wants us to invite, include, involve and partner with Him in fulfilling this. Throughout the Scriptures, there is always an invitation to invite Jesus in and He wants you to invite Him as you obey the command to go. Jesus makes all the difference.

How We Invite Jesus

I have three steps for you to build your relationship with the Lord for Him to shine through you.

Acknowledge Him

In everything that you do, remind yourself that you are nothing without Jesus. Jesus transforms you. He deserves all the credit. You put Jesus on the throne of your life. Acknowledge the Lord every time before you make a decision, go into a relationship, go into business, go to college or school. Ask before you do – that is the acknowledgement factor.

Acknowledging God is acknowledging the fact that you are no longer the God of your life, but He is. Share on X

A common mistake people make is when they have a mentor or small group leader, they go to them to tell them what they are doing rather than receive counsel. In so doing, you have turned them from a mentor into a friend. You should go to them before you make the decision. That is the key to getting counselled. You can’t get counselled about something you have already decided to do. Mentorship is not for someone to hear your decision but to help you make the right decision. We all need help sometimes but we need God’s help all the time.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He ill make your paths straight.”

This means what it says, invite the Lord into every area of your life. Are you supposed to be in ministry, on the frontlines or behind the scenes getting your character worked on? Do you know what season you are in? Are you involving God so He can teach you in your season and promote you to the next? Sometimes we don’t graduate from the season we are in because we never learn the lesson we need to.

God wants you to be aware that He is aware. When you acknowledge God, He will direct you out of your prison. Share on X

You have to invite God in before you make a decision. Sometimes, we invite God in after we have made a decision, or a mistake and we ask God to help us clean it up. It happens; we are all humans and make mistakes. This is not to condemn anyone but to remind you that Jesus wants you to involve Him in your life before you make a decision.

Just like in marriage, when you invite Jesus into your life, it is no longer just you. You are no longer alone. You invited Jesus to be your Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit to be your partner, (John 15).

Psalm 118:7, “The Lord is with me; He is my helper.”

Remember the aspects of the Holy Spirit. He is our Guide, Comforter, Helper, Counsellor, Advocate and Teacher. We don’t do life without Him.

Your acknowledgement determines the outcome of the battle you enter. Share on X

Do you prefer to fight on your own or with God? All of us are in a warzone or battle of some sorts. This speaks to everybody. It doesn’t matter how you smile, there is always some type of opposition we face. We live in this dark world where the ruler of the air is always trying to oppose and fight against you and your purpose. You might be facing internal warfare or your warzone could be your home. Whether it is suicidal tendencies, depression, heaviness, addiction or sickness, acknowledge God and He shall direct your path. It is not just about getting clarity out of confusion but directing your marriage out of divorce, directing you out of bankruptcy.

When the Lord directs you, He moves and shifts things when you invite Him in. Invite Him in and the outcome of your battle will be different. You will no longer bear the title on your forehead of defeated but victorious in the name of Jesus! There is nothing too small to invite God into. He cares about every detail of your life. He knows everything about you in detail.

Have Awareness Him

Once you acknowledge God, it draws and awareness of Him. God is omnipresent. You will be convinced that you know He exists and no storm in your life can shake that experience and confidence. The awareness of the fact that you are never alone, God is always with you, by your side. If you are driving, walking, feel defeated, just left sin, in your worst, in your best, your highs and lows, even your darkest moments or lightest moments, Jesus is always there with you. If you ever doubted that you were not alone, this scripture is for you:

Psalm 139:7-10, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.”

When you are aware of the fact that God is always with you, you birth reverence for the Lord. This will foster a genuine desire to do right because you want your relationship with the Lord to be sacred, protected and whole. He calls you into a greater level of consecration. If you had hatred in your soul, you will feel uncomfortable because you know God offers forgiveness. You won’t feel comfortable committing sin because you are aware He is more powerful than the sin that draws you in and defeats you.

You don’t have to be alone in the sin, condemning yourself, feeling dirty and ashamed of yourself. When you are aware and cry out to God, you know like He says in Psalm 51, you are purified! You don’t have to live under; you can live above because the cross of Christ is available to you. Satan is under your feet and you trample on snakes and scorpions.

When you are aware of God’s presence with you, anywhere you are and whatever you are doing, your spirit is connecting to Him and praying. Then, you will begin to feel God in every more and understand that you are truly never alone. Your grocery shopping, family meals and everyday events will no longer be just normal because you become sensitive to the Holy Spirit and heart of God. You are not alone. An acute awareness of God births reverence and sensitivity towards Him.

Awareness of God births the fear of God that will develop wisdom within you. Share on X

Awareness Of God’s Voice Births Anointing

When you acknowledge God and are aware of His presence, it releases the third A – anointing.

“Walking in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit depends on us and our obedience”

– Cash Luna

Walking in the anointing of God is not just for a few but for those who choose to break their will to obey God’s will. It hurts. When God asks you to do things that hurt, you heard right. We are not common people in the Kingdom of God; we do things differently. We are people of love and extravagant generosity, even when it hurts.

Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointing Me to proclaim the good news to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the bling and to set the oppressed free.”

The Lord anoints us so we can be a solution to those who are in need. When you are willing to be the solution and yield to God, anointing flows through you so that Jesus can be proclaimed as He has commissioned us to do: winning souls and making disciples. Acknowledge Jesus, be aware of His presence with you and understand that this will release the anointing into your life to make the difference He has called you to make.

Sermon By Mariana Parkhotyuk; Blog By Edward Gardiner

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