Good Morning Sunshine! Wherever You Go, Stay Close To His Presence And Don’t Go Anywhere Without Him!

Exodus 33:14–15 (NKJV) — “And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Then he said to Him, ‘If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.’”

Exodus 33 takes place during a critical moment in Israel’s journey. God had already delivered His people from Egypt, brought them through the Red Sea, provided for them in the wilderness, and promised to bring them into the land He had prepared for them. Yet while Moses was on Mount Sinai, the people turned away from God and worshiped the golden calf. They had physically left Egypt, but some of Egypt was still being removed from their hearts.

In the aftermath of their disobedience, God told Moses that the people could continue toward the Promised Land and that He would send an angel before them. The destination was still available. The promise had not disappeared. But Moses understood something that Israel desperately needed to learn: the Promised Land without the Presence of God was not enough.

Moses responded, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” In other words, “God, I want what You promised, but I do not want the promise without You. I want the land, but I want Your Presence more. I want where You are sending us, but I do not want to arrive there without You.” And that is when you know that you are becoming spiritually mature.

Moses had seen miracles. He had watched the Red Sea open. He had seen God provide manna and water. He had experienced God’s power in extraordinary ways, yet those experiences did not cause him to believe he could now navigate the journey without God. The more Moses experienced God, the more he understood how much he needed Him.

That truth brings this week’s journey together. You have been reminded that you have not been this way before. You have learned to give God room to lead, to approach His Word with fresh expectation, and to guard your focus so distractions do not change your direction. Now Day Five brings you to the heart of it all: wherever God takes you next, stay close to His Presence. The goal was never merely to cross over. The goal is to cross over with God.

Sunshine! You made it to Day Five, and there is one truth I want you to carry from this entire week: You have not been this way before, so you need God here. Sometimes you can mistakenly believe you only need God desperately during difficult seasons. When you are in Egypt, you cry out for deliverance. When you are in the wilderness, you pray for provision. When you stand at the Jordan, you ask for courage to cross. When you encounter Jericho, you seek God for strategy. But what happens when you finally begin living in some of the things you prayed for? You still need Him.

In fact, you may need to become even more intentional about seeking Him because sometimes desperation makes dependence easy. When you do not know what to do, you pray. When you cannot see the way, you seek God. When nothing seems to be working, you ask Him for direction. But maturity is continuing to seek God when you have gained enough experience to think you can handle things yourself.

Proverbs 3:5–6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Notice that it does not say acknowledge God only when you are confused. It says “in all your ways.”

A new season does not eliminate your need for God. An open door does not eliminate your need for God. Experience does not eliminate your need for God. Greater knowledge does not eliminate your need for God. Greater anointing does not eliminate your need for God. You said, “I’m more anointed today than I was yesterday.” Then let greater anointing produce greater dependence. Let greater revelation produce greater humility. Let greater territory produce greater prayer. Let greater opportunity produce greater obedience. If God enlarges your territory, enlarge your prayer life.

You have never carried this exact combination of responsibility, opportunity, influence, experience, wisdom, and anointing before. Even if parts of this season look familiar, you have never lived this exact season before. That means yesterday’s experience cannot become a substitute for today’s dependence upon God. This brings us back to Day One: You have not been this way before.

Joshua 3:4 became the phrase that opened this journey. Israel was preparing to cross into unfamiliar territory, and God instructed them to watch carefully because they needed to know which way to go. The same is true for you. You have seen many days before, but you have never lived this one. You have experienced many Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, but no two were exactly alike. Every day carries its own decisions, opportunities, challenges, grace, and assignments. You do not get to live yesterday again, and you cannot live tomorrow early. You have to follow God today.

Day Two taught you the importance of giving God room to lead. Israel had to maintain enough distance between themselves and the ark to see which way God was leading. Spiritually, that reminded you not to crowd God’s direction with your own assumptions. Sometimes you already have an idea of how God should answer, which door He should open, which person He should use, and how quickly everything should happen. But you have not been this way before.

Isaiah 55:8–9 reminds you that God’s thoughts are not your thoughts and His ways are higher than your ways. Give Him room to surprise you. Give Him room to redirect you. Give Him room to say no when you expected yes and wait when you expected now. Give Him room to take you by a road you did not know existed. You do not need to know everything God knows in order to follow where He leads.

Day Three reminded you: Same Word, Different You. Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is “living and powerful.” You can read a Scripture you have read dozens of times and suddenly see something you never noticed before. The Word did not change; you did.

You lived some more. You prayed some more. You survived some things. You healed in some places. You learned lessons you did not know before. You crossed some things that once intimidated you. Now you are reading the same Bible from a different place in your journey. Never become so familiar with God’s Word that you stop expecting Him to speak through it.

The Scripture you needed to survive Egypt may reveal something different when you read it from the Promised Land. The Word that taught you about deliverance may now teach you discipline. The Scripture that helped you wait may now teach you how to steward what you received.

Psalm 119:18 says, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” Keep praying that prayer. “God, show me what I couldn’t see before. Show me what this Word means from where I am standing now.” You can return to a Scripture without returning to an old season. You can revisit a lesson without rebuilding Egypt. Carry the wisdom forward.

Then Day Four told you: Stay focused and pay attention. Proverbs 4:25–27 instructed you to look straight ahead, fix your gaze, carefully consider the path of your feet, and refuse to turn to the right or the left. You learned that what holds your attention can influence your direction. That matters because new territory will bring new distractions. Some distractions will look like problems, but others will look like opportunities. Some will come through people. Some will come through comparison. Some will come from looking backward. Some may even come from something good that simply is not your assignment.

You cannot allow everything that gets your attention to determine your direction. Hebrews 12:2 tells you to keep “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Keep your eyes on Him. Someone else’s pace is not necessarily your pace. Someone else’s opportunity is not necessarily your assignment. Every open door is not necessarily your door.

Give careful thought to the path of your feet. And now Day Five brings all of those lessons to one place: His Presence. You have not been this way before, so stay close to His Presence. Give God room to lead, but stay close enough to follow. Keep reading His Word because you are still growing. Guard your focus because distractions can change your direction. And wherever God takes you, never want what He gives you more than you want Him. Moses’ prayer should become your prayer: “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”

That is a powerful prayer because sometimes you can become so excited about where you believe God is taking you that you stop asking whether He is leading you there. You want the door because it is open. You want the opportunity because it looks good. You want the platform because it is larger. You want the connection because it seems beneficial. But what if God’s Presence is not leading you there?

Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.” Your prayer should not simply be, “God, bless wherever I decide to go.” Your prayer should be, “God, order my steps so I go where You have already determined I should be.” That is where your prayer, “God, help me walk the fine line as I pursue the narrow path,” becomes even more important.  You need discernment to know the difference between a good idea and a God assignment. You need discernment to know when to move and when to wait, when to speak and when to remain silent, when to say yes and when to say no, when to hold on and when to release.

Isaiah 30:21 says, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” That is the kind of sensitivity you want in this next place. You want to be so aware of God’s Presence that when He redirects you, you recognize His voice and you that you do not allow familiarity with the new place to make you less dependent upon God.

At first, everything may feel new, so you pray about everything. You ask God about every decision. You carefully listen for His direction. But after a while, you learn the territory. You become more comfortable. You develop routines. You gain experience. Be careful that confidence does not quietly become independence. John 15:5 records Jesus saying, “without Me you can do nothing.” You may become better at what God called you to do, but you never graduate from dependence upon the One who called you. If you become more gifted, stay yielded. If you become more knowledgeable, stay teachable. If you become more influential, stay humble. If you become more successful, stay prayerful. If you become more anointed, stay surrendered. If God enlarges your territory, enlarge your prayer life.

First Chronicles 4:10 records Jabez praying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me.” Notice that he did not ask only for enlarged territory. He also desired God’s hand to remain with him, let that be your desire. “God, if You enlarge me, keep Your hand on me. If You increase me, keep my heart near You. If You elevate me, keep me humble. If You open doors, keep me discerning. If You give me more to carry, give me greater capacity to pray.” You are not crossing over to prove something to people. You are not pursuing the promise so you can say, “Look at what I accomplished.” You are moving because God is leading, and every place He leads should reveal more of Him to you. Remember what the journey has taught you. Egypt taught you about deliverance. The wilderness taught you dependence. The Jordan taught you faith. Jericho taught you obedience, discipline, and strategy. God did not bring you through those places so you could continue living there. He brought you through so you could carry the wisdom forward.

You can remember Egypt without rebuilding it. You can remember the wilderness without camping there again. You can remember the Jordan without spending the rest of your life standing at the riverbank talking about how you crossed. You crossed over and now live on this side. Carry the Word that taught you to walk in liberty. Carry the testimony that reminds you of God’s faithfulness. Carry the discipline that helps you steward what He places in your hands. Carry the humility that reminds you that you did not arrive by yourself. And most importantly, carry an awareness of His Presence and remember everyday that there is something new to embrace, as you have not been this way before, but God has.

He already knows what is around the corner. He knows the doors that will open, the doors that need to remain closed, the people you will meet, the decisions you will face, the opportunities that will come, and the distractions that will attempt to pull you away. You do not need a complete map when you are walking with the One who already knows the way. So, embrace what God has prepared for you. Walk confidently into the new territory but walk humbly. Celebrate the promise but worship the Promise-Giver. Receive the increase but increase your prayer life. Use the gifts but remain yielded. Walk in the anointing but remain dependent. Keep your eyes on God. Give Him room to lead. Stay in His Word. Guard your focus. Pay attention. Follow His direction. And above everything else, stay close to His Presence.

Let’s Pray:

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for bringing me through this week and reminding me that although I have not been this way before, I have never taken one step outside of Your sight. Thank You for every place You brought me out of, every wilderness You sustained me through, every Jordan You helped me cross, and every wall You gave me strength and strategy to face. Thank You for reminding me that I do not have to know everything about where I am going because I know the One who is leading me. You already know the way. Father, let the prayer of Moses become the posture of my heart: if Your Presence does not go with me, I do not want to go. I do not want a promise without Your Presence. I do not want an opportunity without Your approval. I do not want a platform without Your purpose. I do not want increase that decreases my dependence upon You. Thank You for teaching me this week that I have not been this way before. Help me approach each new day with humility instead of assumption. Remind me that even when something looks familiar, I still need today’s wisdom, today’s grace, today’s discernment, and today’s direction. Father, give me room to see You clearly and a heart willing to follow wherever You lead. Remove my preconceived notions about how You must answer me. When Your direction looks different from what I expected, give me enough faith to trust Your wisdom over my understanding. Keep Your Word alive in my heart. When I read a familiar Scripture, open my eyes again. Do not allow me to become so familiar with Your Word that I stop expecting You to speak. Thank You that the Word may be the same while You continue transforming me through it. Father, guard my focus. Help me fix my eyes on Jesus and give careful thought to the path of my feet. Do not allow distractions to determine my direction. Give me discernment concerning people, opportunities, responsibilities, and open doors. Everything that looks good is not necessarily Your assignment for me. Help me walk the fine line as I pursue the narrow path. Teach me when to move and when to wait, when to speak and when to remain silent, when to accept and when to decline, when to hold on and when to release. Father, if You enlarge my territory, enlarge my prayer life. If You increase my influence, increase my humility. If You increase my knowledge, keep me teachable. If You increase my anointing, increase my surrender. If You place more into my hands, give me wisdom and discipline to steward it well. I declare that I am more anointed today than I was yesterday, but Father, I do not want greater anointing without greater intimacy. I do not want greater territory without greater dependence. I do not want greater visibility without greater character. Keep working in me while You work through me. Thank You for what Egypt taught me about deliverance. Thank You for what the wilderness taught me about dependence. Thank You for what the Jordan taught me about faith. Thank You for what Jericho taught me about obedience and strategy. I will carry the lessons, but I will not rebuild the places You brought me out of. I will remember without returning, I will learn without lingering, I will carry the wisdom forward. Father, I have crossed over. Help my thinking, praying, speaking, decisions, discipline, and expectations begin reflecting where You have brought me. I will not keep standing at the edge talking about crossing when You have already brought me across. Father, order my steps and when I begin drifting to the right or left, let me hear Your voice saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Keep me sensitive enough to hear You, humble enough to receive correction, disciplined enough to obey, and courageous enough to move. Most of all, Father, keep me close. When the promise comes, keep me close. When the territory enlarges, keep me close. When the doors open, keep me close. When prayers are answered, keep me close. When opportunities increase, keep me close. When people begin recognizing what You placed in me, keep me close. May nothing You place in my hands ever become greater in my heart than the One who placed it there. I have not been this way before, but I trust You. I do not need to see the entire road. I simply need enough light for the next step and enough faith to take it. Your Presence will go with me. Your Word will guide me. Your Spirit will lead me. And wherever You lead, I will follow. In Jesus Christ Mighty Name, Amen.

Nugget ~ You have not been this way before, but God already knows the way. Keep your eyes on Him, stay in His Word, guard your focus, enlarge your prayer life, and never desire the promise more than His Presence.

Blessings…

Love, Dr. Jean…

Have A Blessed Weekend…