Who is God? Archives - From His Presence®

December 22, 2015 By Jamie Rohrbaugh 17 Comments

God Has Already Lived Your Future

This entry is part 1 of 10 in the series Who is God?

I know some of you dear readers are worried about your future right now. Last night, someone even contacted me to say they’re sleeping in a car and at their lowest point. But dear ones, no matter where you find yourself right now–and how worried or concerned or sad or upset you may feel right now–I wanted to tell you this today:

God has already lived your future. He has seen where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going … already.

It’s true. Wrap your brain around this beautiful truth:

God is not bound by time. Revelation 1:4 tells us that He has always existed and always will:

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne….”

God is eternal. But what does it mean for God to be “eternal”?

We often mistake the word “eternal” to mean that God will continue into the infinite future. However, thinking like that assumes that God is bound by time: that there is a part of God that has not happened yet; a time that He has not yet experienced. This is incorrect.

We know this is incorrect for several reasons:

If there were a part of God that had not happened yet, then God would be incomplete, and as such, imperfect. An imperfect, incomplete God is no god at all.
If there were a time in the future which God has not yet inhabited, that would mean that God is subject to time. He would be waiting for time to happen to Him. This is also impossible. If God were subject to time, then time would of necessity be superior to God, and God could not be God.

Instead, we know that time is something God created. It’s a function of our planet hurtling through space, rotating on its axis around the sun. Scientists call it “space-time.”

Because God created time, He is not subject to time. One day He will roll up the heavens and the earth like a scroll, and there will be time no longer (Revelation 10:6).

What does this mean to you?

Revelation 1:4 tells us that God is “God who is, and who was, and who is to come.” This is the literal truth of who God is, and it’s also a great reassurance to us. It means:

1. God is. Right now.

At this very moment, God is everything He has ever been and everything He will ever be.

That means you can rest in Him, because He exists in your “right now,” and He is good. He cannot, by definition, fail to take care of you.

2. God was. He always has been.

At every time in your past, and down through the ages, He was there.

More importantly, though, when I say He “was,” I am referring to His unchanging inhabitation of what is already past in your life. If God did not currently inhabit your past, then your past would be out of reach for Him to fix. Plus, anything out of His reach would be more powerful than He is–and that would mean He couldn’t be God.

But God is still in your past and mine. All of time–past, present, and future–is but a blip on God’s radar. In your “was,” He still “is.” And THAT is how He can heal your past!

3. God IS to come. He exists, present tense, in what is future to you. He’s already in your future.

Again: God is to come. God “is” (present tense) in the future (which is “to come” for me). He is already there.

Our Papa God is so big that He overarches all of time. He’s so big that He’s not waiting for the future to happen. He “is” there already, in the “to come.”

You will get to your future eventually since you are bound by time. The sun will rise and set enough times that you will arrive at what’s in store for your life, one day at a time. Time will happen to you.

But time does not “happen” to God. God happens to time.

The process we call time–this hurtling through space as our planet rotates, producing the rising and setting of the sun and the passing of minutes–is totally beneath God. It’s something He created for us to dwell in, but He does not dwell in it Himself.

So God has already happened to your future. As a matter of fact, your past, present, and future are all happening at the same time for God, because time is so much smaller than He is.

God is eternal. And because God has already happened to your future, you can take comfort. He has it all under control.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:16, NASB).

Does the idea of God being present in your future already bring you comfort and hope? If so, please leave a comment and share! I’d love to hear from you!

This is the first part of a series called “Who is God?” The material here comes from my own Bible study. I am also strongly influenced by the writings of A.W. Tozer on this subject. His book “The Knowledge of the Holy,” 117 pages of powerful descriptions of the Person of God, changed my life. See more in my Reviews page here. If you want to know more about who God is, I highly recommend reading “The Knowledge of the Holy.” Go here: The Knowledge of the Holy to find this book on Amazon.com.

Don’t miss a thing! Sign up for free updates!
You’ll get an email when new content is posted. You’ll also receive my free, printable blessing cards and my ebook–The Presence Seeker’s Creed–for free when you confirm!

Image courtesy of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center on Flickr via Creative Commons license. Graphics and text have been added.

February 6, 2013 By Jamie Rohrbaugh Leave a Comment

God the Holy One

This entry is part 2 of 10 in the series Who is God?

This is the second part of a series called “Who is God?” If you want to know more about who God is, I highly recommend reading A.W. Tozer’s book, “The Knowledge of the Holy.” Go here: The Knowledge of the Holy to find this book on Amazon.com.

God is holy.

Webster’s Dictionary says that “holy” means: “exalted or worth of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness; divine….” [1]

God is perfect and perfectly righteous, and this is part of His holiness. Holiness also has four other important attributes.

1. First, to be holy means, in part, to have majesty. [Read more…]

February 18, 2013 By Jamie Rohrbaugh 1 Comment

God Knows Everything About You and Loves You Like Crazy

This entry is part 3 of 10 in the series Who is God?

This is the third post in my series “Who Is God?” about the attributes and characteristics of God. You can also read the first two posts in the series, God the Eternal One and God the Holy One.

One of my favorite attributes of God is that He is omniscient. “Omniscient” means all-knowing; in other words, God knows everything.

Hebrews 4:13 states, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Because God knows everything, it automatically follows that He knows you and me.

King David, the second king of ancient Israel, recorded the following in Psalm 139:1-4: “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.”

If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, God’s omniscience is a reason for joy. Having an all-knowing God means that God knows even the worst about us, but chose to love us and save us anyway. [1] No matter what you’ve been through in life; no matter what choices you’ve made–good or bad–God knows all about it and His heart still beats for you. [Read more…]

April 24, 2015 By Jamie Rohrbaugh 4 Comments

Need A New Start? He Is God Who Makes You New

This entry is part 4 of 10 in the series Who is God?

Do you feel like you need a new start? A new beginning–a reboot–a do-over?

If so, today is your day, because God is a Renewer. New starts are what He DOES.

How do I know God will give you a new start?

Because God is a Renewer.

Let’s stop right there and look at the word “renew.” When you add “re-” onto the beginning of a word, it means you are doing something again. Think of the words “redo,” “replenish,” “restore.” To “re-” something is to bring it back to its original intent.

When God made Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were perfect. They had not sinned, and they walked with the Lord in perfect companionship.

But then they made the choice to rebel against God. They sinned and fell away from relationship with their Father God, and humans have been sinning ever since.

But God! He is so amazing. His heart is to restore. His heart is to redeem. His heart is to fix what we have broken.

God is a “Re-God”… the one Who makes all things new. He loves to bring you back into His original intent for you.

Second Corinthians 5:17 says:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

What does this mean to you if you need a new start?

1. It means God will give you the new start you need, in any area of life.

Right now, today.

Have you made mistakes in certain situations? Ask Him to make those situations new, and He will. Do you need a total reboot, a total do-over? Get alone with God and pour out your heart to Him. He will give you the do-over you need. You will feel completely new after you’ve poured it all out to God in prayer.

It’s true that you may need to make some things right… with God and with people. But God will lead you through those situations. He’ll give you the wisdom and the words to say. He’ll give you the broken and contrite heart you need.

And if you’ll seek Him, He’ll keep on giving you the right words, the wisdom, and the right heart on an ongoing basis. [Read more…]

March 28, 2013 By Jamie Rohrbaugh Leave a Comment

God Who Rewards You

This entry is part 5 of 10 in the series Who is God?

When you accept God’s salvation, submit to His Lordship, and seek Him diligently, He will bless you for it. He is, after all, God Who Rewards You.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

This verse plainly tells us that God rewards us if we seek Him in faith.

God’s rewards are awesome, too! Among other things, He has promised:

to meet all of our spiritual, emotional, and physical needs;
to comfort us during hard times;
to give us a passion to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others;
to give us “a deep sense of security;” [Read more…]

April 4, 2013 By Jamie Rohrbaugh Leave a Comment

God Our Intercessor

This entry is part 6 of 10 in the series Who is God?

“God Our Intercessor” is the 6th in my article series entitled “Who Is God?”, about the characteristics and attributes of God. If you haven’t yet done so, you’ll also enjoy reading God the Eternal One, God the Holy One, God Knows Everything About You and Loves You Like Crazy, God Who Makes You New, and God Who Rewards You.

All of God’s attributes are important; one is no less crucial than the other. But there is one of His names that conveys something that, quite literally, none of us could live without. That name is:

God Our Intercessor. [Read more…]

April 17, 2013 By Jamie Rohrbaugh 1 Comment

You May Change, But God Never Changes

This entry is part 7 of 10 in the series Who is God?

“You May Change, But God Never Changes” is the 7th article in my series entitled “Who Is God?” about the characteristics and attributes of God. If you haven’t yet done so, you’ll also enjoy reading God the Eternal One, God the Holy One, God Knows Everything About You and Loves You Like Crazy, God Who Makes You New, God Who Rewards You, and God Our Intercessor.

Have you ever stopped to think that if God could change, we’d be in real trouble?

Seriously. Think about it. God has all the power in the universe. He is in control of everything. If He decided to be in a good mood one day, but not the next; if He decided to keep His Word one day, but not the next; if His requirements were different from day to day… we humans would have no hope.

We’d never be able to keep up. We are outwitted, outclassed, and outpowered by God. Our only hope is that He tells us what He wants and sticks to it.

And fortunately, that’s exactly what He does.

You and I may change, but God never changes.

The Bible tells us that God never changes. In Malachi 3:6, God says, “For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

James 1:16-17 states, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Christians can take great comfort in God’s unchangeableness, or “immutability.” All of His marvelous attributes that I’ve discussed so far in this blog series would be completely useless if it were possible for these attributes to change.

So how does the fact that God never changes apply to your life?

The fact that God never changes has three very important, practical applications: [Read more…]

April 18, 2013 By Jamie Rohrbaugh 3 Comments

Jesus Christ is Perfect Theology

This entry is part 8 of 10 in the series Who is God?

I was listening to a sermon yesterday by Pastor Bill Johnson of Bethel Church (Redding, California). In his sermon, he said this sentence: “Jesus Christ is perfect theology.”

That statement really struck me. It’s true, of course, but I have never thought of it that way before. Let’s look at why the fact that “Jesus Christ is perfect theology” is so deep, and how we can apply this truth to change our everyday life.

Why Jesus Christ is perfect theology:

John 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

Then John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

These passages tell us that Jesus is the Word–the Statement–of God. God wrapped up His entire Statement to humanity–His entire disclosure of Himself–in His Son, Jesus. Then He delivered Jesus to earth so we could see Him.

Everything God has to say, and everything He has ever said, is completely manifest in Jesus. Therefore, when we look at Jesus, we see the Father. Accurately. 100%. Jesus is what the Father looks like, talks like, sounds like, acts like.

Cool, huh? So how does that tie into “theology”? It’s very simple, actually. “Theology” just means the study of God. So every accurate disclosure of God is good theology, and Jesus Christ is the complete and accurate disclosure of the Father.

John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

Everything Jesus is; everything He said (and continues to say); every bit of His personality and character is an accurate disclosure of God the Father.

How we can apply this to everyday life:

Pastor Johnson’s statement–“Jesus Christ is perfect theology”–touched me so much. It made me realize that [Read more…]

September 27, 2013 By Jamie Rohrbaugh 8 Comments

I Saw the Terror of the Lord

This entry is part 9 of 10 in the series Who is God?

qaZ

Last night, I had the privilege to attend a conference meeting at Fuse Church where Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, was speaking. It was awesome. For the first time, I saw the terror of the Lord.

What do I mean by “terror of the Lord”? Well, before worship–actually right when Bill Johnson walked in the room, because he carries so much of the Presence of the Lord–and during worship, the Lord revealed a side of Himself that I had never encountered before: His terrible-ness. I caught just a glimpse of how powerful He is, and how awesome, and how totally other He is.

God is not like me.

Am I made in His image? Yes. But God is not like me.

He is OTHER.

And He is terrible.

Seeing this side of Him first-hand inspired me to fear.

Was it a holy fear? Yes. It was not a demonic fear. But it was fear nonetheless. It wasn’t just respect, and maybe there’s a better word for it than “fear,” but if there is I don’t know what it is. So I can only use the language I have to describe how I felt when He revealed Himself to me.

I felt afraid.

It was the first time I have ever encountered the Lord and literally prayed, “Please don’t kill me.” [Read more…]

June 30, 2014 By Jamie Rohrbaugh Leave a Comment

Architecture as Worship: Monastery of the Holy Spirit

This entry is part 10 of 10 in the series Who is God?

Have you noticed that you can learn new things about God anywhere, if you will just look for Him?

I love to look for hints and clues about God’s character in untraditional places, and architecture is one of those untraditional things that can be a great demonstration of God’s character.

I know we usually think of architecture as a way to manufacture shelter, hopefully with beauty that is pleasing to the eye and functional for everyday life. However, some of the most beautiful architecture in the world wasn’t done for the purpose of just being practical; it was used as worship. Architecture has been used to worship and glorify God for thousands of years.

My husband and I took a trip down to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia recently. It was an amazing day at an amazing place. After we explored the grounds and museum there, I was able to spend the afternoon sitting in the balcony of their church. This church, which I would call a cathedral by my standards, 🙂 was beautiful. As soon as you walked in, you could feel the weighty brooding of the Holy Spirit. This is what it looked like on the inside:

The chapel is not actually blue, but the stained glass windows have a lot of blue in them, so the windows put a blue cast on everything. But in reality, the columns and arches are all whitish-gray concrete. This entire church was molded, framed, and poured by hand by the Trappist monks that live there. It’s amazing.

As I sat in the balcony, I was overwhelmed by the Presence of the Lord there. He was so heavy. You could feel Him so powerfully that I just sat there and cried and cried, and looking at the beauty of the building brought me a deeper revelation of His majesty.

While we were there, I wanted to try recording some of my thoughts from this experience, and my husband was kind enough to record for me. Here is my first-ever vlog. It’s very short, but I believe it will move you as seeing this place moved me. Take a listen:

God is everywhere. His majesty is on display for all to see. Let’s look for Him everywhere we go today, shall we?

Don’t miss a thing! Sign up for free updates!
You’ll get an email when new content is posted. You’ll also receive my free, printable blessing cards and my ebook–The Presence Seeker’s Creed–for free when you confirm!