To Pastors

My name is William, but I like to be called Billy because is makes me feel younger (as you get older, hanging onto some similitude of youth is important). Enough about me, I would much prefer to talk about my passion, the force that nourishes me, encourages me to get up each day with great expectancy, that drive that can only be fueled by God. In essence, what I am talking about is a “Passionate Pursuit of His Presence”.
 
John 17:3 says “to know God is eternal life."  I don’t mean to know about God, but to have an intimate, cherished, personal relationship with the only Uncreated Being. For many people, much of their lives have been spent in knowing about our magnificent, loving, compassionate God, the Creator of heaven and earth, but not knowing Him in the manner for which we have been created. Most people think that this is a pinnacle to high to reach or a gulf too wide to span. In reality, this is the very reason we have been created. We were designed to have fellowship with Him. This relationship is not out of our head, which is where many of us, to include myself for many years, draw our experience with Him. It is not something we can embrace with our mind. To experience the fellowship God desires with us, we must yield our inner being to His passionate attempts to draw us into a presence with Him which cannot be duplicated by anything man has to offer. And once we experience intimate fellowship with God, soaking in His Presence, we are ruined to the desires and pleasures that once held us captive.
 
This drive and passion for the Father was clearly demonstrated by Joshua, who yearned so much for God's Presence that he would remain in the Tabernacle long after Moses left. No doubt that sustaining force he acquired from continually dwelling in His Presence equipped Joshua to lead the children of Israel out of the wilderness into the promise land. I see the same inspiration from David when he states in Psalms 27:4 "The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His Temple." (NLT). In the same manner, Paul attributed as worthless all of the achievements, positions and accolades from this world compared to the one thing - being in His Presence. Finally, our Master, Jesus elevated this experience to the highest level when He told Martha that Mary has chosen the one thing, the most important thing that could not be taken from her, to sit at His feet soaking in His Presence.
 
God has called me to teach the body of Christ how to become intimate with the Lord, to understand the fullness of His Grace, to enjoy the completeness of Jesus’ redemption. In addition to teaching, my desire is to meet with pastors and share some of these experiences of being in God’s Presence. Having pastored for fourteen years, the last six of which was spent with Kenneth Copeland Ministries/Eagle Mountain International Church as an associate pastor, I have a great deal of compassion for the office of pastor. I know how dedicated and diligent these ministers are. I also know that it is so easy to move into the realm of performance, of fulfilling expectations and how the demands of shepherding the flock can sometimes rob us of valuable and much needed intimate time in His Presence. My desire is to build relationships with pastors - to pray with them, encourage them, stand with them, be a friend, another set of eyes, and when appropriate, share with them and their congregations the value and importance of having an intimate relationship with the Father.
 
This is a benefit to the church, by virtue of the fact that when people get “lit up” with the same glory that shone from the face of Moses after his experience in the Presence of God, then this glory is spread from one person to the next. This experience has and will change the desires and motivation of people in the church. It has been said many times that “people are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good". I would submit that only when we become more mindful of the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven will we be of any earthly good, especially in building the Kingdom of God. When pastors and church members spend “Mary time” with Him, it’s then that they realize He will take care of the “Martha stuff”.
 
I have observed that when people become consumed with His Presence, they not only desire to work in the Kingdom, there is an anointing to fulfill the dreams and visions that He has placed in their heart. Since the very beginning of time when God created Adam, coming into His Presence in this vital way was what Abba, Father always intended. He led the children of Israel into the wilderness so they could worship and know Him personally. God sent Jesus to give us the ability to enter boldly into His Presence. The bottom line is that’s what this is all about. He desires to empower us to do what He wants, enabling us to fulfill the mission each of us is called to. It all starts by spending time in His Presence. The rewards and benefits cannot be realized or enumerated in this writing. I have experienced the fruits of this labor and my desire is to share with those who are hungry for the same.