God commands us to obey authority
The Practice of the Presence of God
Photo by Dibakar Roy on Unsplash
One of the things we all should seek as Christians is to know, feel, and be aware of the presence of God in our life. The Lord promises He will never leave us or forsake us. We seem to forget that promise when life gets rough, the hill looks like a mountain, and the rain seems like a hurricane. One of the best things I did this past year was participate in a women’s group at our parish that went through the book The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection.
This small book is packed with such powerful truths that they can, and will, change your life and your faith if you implement even one or two of these principles into your life. Practicing the Presence of God is simply knowing, feeling, and acknowledging God’s presence in our life every single moment of every single day.
We often hear the phrase “it’s the small things in life that matter”. That concept is even more true when we seek to know the Lord deeper and enjoy His presence each moment of our life. One of my favorite verses in Sacred Scripture is Psalm 46:10. It commands us to “be still and know that I am God.” It seems that the command to “be still” is impossible in this life unless we belong to a religious order. We do not have to belong to a religious order to “be still and know” that He is God.
The Practice of the Presence of God walks you through acknowledging God in the small things of every day life. It is turning your focus from yourself to God and, as a result, being in a continual conversation with the Lord throughout the day. It’s believing He is really with you every single moment and has never left you. It is treating Him like your best friend.
A deep relationship with the Lord is more than just going to Him in prayer when things are tough, we are scared, grieving, or stressed. It’s going to Him while we are on our morning commute, cooking dinner, working in the office, and even doing household chores. If we learn to speak to God throughout the day, thank Him for things such as even another day or life or the red light turning green, thanking Him for getting a good parking spot, for the sun shining, or even the sunrise and grass you see each day.
If you want to know the Lord more then you must spend time with HIm. If you want to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with your spouse then you spend time with him. If you want to have a deeper relationship with the Lord then you spend time with Him. You talk to HIm. You listen when He speaks. You enjoy His presence.
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About the Author
Amelia Monroe Carlson graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. Being raised as a Methodist during her early years, it was not until she entered college where she began to take her faith seriously. She was baptized as a Southern Baptist in Muscle Shoals, AL and began immediately serving in international missions and in the church.
During college, she became the Co-founder of an International Ministry, where she spent time traveling and speaking to church groups and in large conferences. She authored a Bible study and traveled abroad on mission work. She sat on the Mid-South Interfaith Conferences in Mississippi, where she defended the faith and discussed beliefs with leaders of various religions.
After a business trip to Washington D.C., where she was introduced to a former Baptist who converted to the Catholic Church, she was placed on a journey to enter into the Catholic Church.
Amelia is a military wife and currently residents with her husband and daughter in Tennessee. She is a nine time award winning journalist, receiving press awards for various categories including investigative journalism, best news coverage, and best single feature. It is her desire to help Catholics, particularly Cradle Catholics, see the beauty in their faith which converts see and appreciate the fullness of truth which the Church has held and guarded throughout history. It is her desire all Catholics fall as much in love with Jesus as she is, and love the Church to a greater capacity than they could imagine.
Amelia taught PRE for 4-6 grade at St. Mary Catholic Church in Bolivar, Tennessee from 2014-2016. She served as Youth Director at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Somerville, Tennessee in 2017-2018. She now teaches 7th grade (1st year Confirmation) PRE class at St. Philip. She's also a writer and frequent podcast guest on Our Warpath.
She has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Francis de Sales, St. Padre Pio and St. Maximilian Kolbe.
To contact Amelia for speaking inquiries at conferences, retreats, or parishes contact her via social media on Facebook (Amelia Monroe Carlson), Twitter (@2_catholic ) or send a text to: (731)518-6923.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliamcarlson
Twitter: @2_catholic (Catholic ministry account)
Twitter personal account: @ameliamcarlson
