This past Sunday John Fischer from New Life Vineyard, Cape Town was preaching at our church.

There were a few things he mentioned which really resonated with me. I’ve been pondering / meditating on them since then.

One of the things he said was that sometimes he has to “manipulate” himself into God’s presence.
He was referring to doing things or exposing himself to things which he knows draw him into God’s presence.

This was an interesting spin on “practicing the presence of God.”

It got me thinking…
There are tons of scriptures which speak about seeking the Lord and desiring more of Him.

Manipulation is a word with a bad connotation, but the way he used the word had a good connotation.

I am human and I can sometimes live my life far from God. We are a forgetful people. I can easily live in a forgetful state, but if I know how to “manipulate” myself into the presence of God then I need to do that. If that’s what it takes…Do it!

There are a few songs which take me into the presence of God everytime I hear them. There are certain songs which I sing that have that same effect on me. There are certain places I go to which draw me to God. These things act as triggers in my life, triggers into God’s presence. So what John was saying was that we should use those triggers to seek the Lord.

Now, just to clarify, as a worship leader I am very aware of the negative effect manipulation can have on a congregation. I’m very careful not to manipulate people or hype people up into feeling something which isn’t authentic. Manipulation in that sense, in my opinion, is a form of witchcraft.

What I’m speaking about here is not that negative manipulation, but rather a way of finding those keys in my life, keys which unlock the doors of my heart and mind, keys which help me access God more freely.

I am desperate for more of God.
I want to earnestly seek the Father in my life. (Psalm 63:1)

Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.”

I’m sure I’ll do some more thinking on this, but for now I’m looking for those triggers in my life and the triggers I find I will use.

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