Live Free with Josh Howerton - Never Alone | Ep. 157 | Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Episode Date: September 12, 2023

Today’s episode will challenge you to grow in your awareness of God’s presence. The truth is, not only do we remain in God, but He remains in us! Reflect on Psalm 139 and refresh yourself in the truth that we are always with God, around Him and known by Him. Life changes when we live in the truth of our constant union with God. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, what is up? Thanks for joining us for the Daily Drive. My name is Mike, and we are on a 21-day journey of encountering God. And this week we've been hanging in the words of Jesus from John chapter 15 focusing on three words that really make a difference in those three words are, remain in me. That's what Jesus said. Remain in me, abide in me, dwell in me, stay connected with me. Let's read those verses again today from John 15. Here we go. Remain in me. in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it's severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I'm the vine and you are the branches.

Those who remain in me and I and them will produce much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. If you and I stay connected, I mean, if we keep the remain thing, the main thing, we will flourish and produce all kinds of lasting fruit. If we don't, we won't. I mean, a branch that's cut off from the vine might stay green and vibrant a day or so, but eventually it shrivels up and dies. And being honest about my own life, those times where I felt a little dead on the inside were times I disconnected from the vine. There is such payoff for staying connected daily to Jesus, and that's what we're trying to do during this 21 days. Research says that if you can practice something for like 21 days, it's likely to become a lifestyle, and that's our hope.

And since Jesus used the botany illustration, we've been using the word sap to point out some of the things that happen as a result of receiving life-giving nutrients by staying connected to him. Last episode we said the S stood for security, that as you remain in him and you let his words remain in you, you begin to see yourself the way he sees you. And words like, priceless, loved, forgiven, free, chosen, redeemed, son, daughter, those words begin to define you. to walk through life with a humble confidence and know that is not an oxymoron. True confidence finds its roots in humility. And when you walk through your day with a humble confidence, secure in who you are, things like people applause or their criticism, your job performance, your grades, your bank account, your looks, trophies, those things no longer define you.

You already matter to the one who matters most. So security is the first payoff. The A in the word sap stands for, Awareness. Awareness. To remain in him is to live in the awareness of his presence every day, to know that he's not only with you, but if you are a follower of Jesus, he is in you.

And living in that awareness is an absolute game-changer. One of my favorite Psalms from the Old Testament of the Bible of Psalm 139 is written by a guy named David. Can I just read a longer portion of it the day? I just, this just might hit you the same way, it hits me. It says, Oh, Lord, you have examined my heart, and you know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I'm going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and you follow me. You place your hand a blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand. I can never escape from your spirit. I can never get away from your prayer. If I go up to heaven, you're there, if I go down to the grave, you're there, if I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell over the farthest oceans. Even there, your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night, but even in darkness, I can't hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate inner parts of my body. You knit me together in my mother's womb.

thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous. How well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered. I can't even count them. They outnumber the grains of sand. When I wake up, You are still with me. Isn't that a cool poem? I mean, this is not David saying,

dang it, God, I just can't get away from you, man. I can't hide. It feels like you're stalking me. And honestly, it's a little creepy you invaded my space all the time. No, David is saying it's amazing. It's amazing knowing that there's nothing that can separate me from your presence. To know that I'm known, oh, man, that is such a comfort of me. to know that wherever I go you are with me,

that fills me with peace and courage and wonder and joy. I remember probably 35 years ago hearing a pastor from Argentina named Juan Carlos Ortiz. Talk about how people would ask him, Pastor Juan, how much time do you spend with the Lord? He got this puzzled look on his face and he said, uh, 24-7? He's with me all the time because he is in me.

That was a formative moment for a young guy. It changed the way I was doing life at the time. I started living in the awareness that he was not only with me, like David wrote, but that he was also in me, giving me strength in the moment, giving me patience while I was standing in line, helping me react to my wife, to my kids, to others in appropriately kind ways. He was guiding me to make the right decision when I was standing at a moral crossroad. I mean, it really has been life-changing.

from me. Oh, occasionally, I'll tell him, leave me alone. Don't want to hear that. I'm going to do my own way. Jesus, you need to wait in a car. I'll be right back. But those times, honestly, are becoming more and more rare these days. You see, when we come to Christ and faith, he moves in us. He abides in us. He remains in us to help us flourish and produce fruit in a way we never could on her own. Jesus said, I came not only to give you eternal life, but that you might have life right here and right now and have it to the full. In a connected life, that's a full life. It's full of fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. Remain in me, and you will experience all of that. So today, what do you say? We keep the remain thing, the main thing, and we live in the awareness of his loving presence in our life. I pray today that you will sense how much God loves hanging with you today. And I'll see you back next time. Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship,

join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out. For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe. Church slash daily drive.