It’s a Presence Problem

Exodus 29:43
“And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.”

“I have a problem, can you help me with…?” This is the question many preachers get from people who are struggling with a certain sin in their life. Many ministries have been started to help people overcome addictions, but often these ministries miss the very source of the problem; instead, they deal with the symptom that the problem created and never help the individual overcome their sin problem.

The answer to the sin problem is found in the verse above. The verse above is where God taught Moses how to set up the tabernacle. It is interesting that God said, “And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.” I want you to notice how the tabernacle was sanctified. It was not sanctified by what man could do, but it was sanctified by God’s glory. This is the answer to the sin problem. The sin problem is a presence problem. If you get God’s presence, you will find that sin will flee. If you desire to overcome sin and temptation in your life, get God’s glory in your life and sin and temptation will cease. Let me share with you several observations about the presence problem.

First, keeping an open dialogue with God helps your presence problem. Verse 42 says, “This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.” One reason people struggle with sin is because they don’t keep a short account with the LORD. There must be continual confession with God if you want Him to speak to you. God is not going to speak with the dirty vessel. Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” You will never find God’s presence without keeping a short account with the LORD. It is vital that you use the personal and church altar regularly as a place to confess your sin to God so He can speak to you.

Second, God sanctifies with His presence. Verse 44 says, “And I will sanctify the tabernacle…” Many Christians make the mistake of trying to cleanse themselves from sin when it is God’s responsibility to sanctify you. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You will notice that the Christian’s job is to confess, and God does the cleansing when they confess. The more quickly you confess your sin to God, the more quickly He will start the cleansing process.

Third, your desires will change when you solve your presence problem. Verse 46 says, “And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.” Christian, you will find that sin will no longer have its lure in your life when you realize that “the LORD” is your “God.”

Your sin problem is truly a presence problem. If you keep God’s presence close to you, you will find that sin will flee. Always remember that continually struggling with sin is an indicator that you have a presence problem. If you stop dealing with the symptom and deal with the presence problem, the symptom will disappear when your life has God’s presence.

Author: Allen Domelle