pilgrim in progress

In this final session Welch emphasized the hope we have through the presence of God to battle our fears and anxieties. These are a few unedited highlights from the session:

• Repentance is a glorious gift from God. It is the evidence of the Spirit of God at work in your life.
• Is my life marked by the presence of God.
• Who is the one who says, “Do not be afraid, do not worry”?
• He is Jesus and He says, “I am with you. I absolutely promise.”
• Perhaps you feel like God is present but relatively uninvolved, asleep in the stern of the boat. Remember that when it comes to God’s presence there is no passive verb. When God says I am with you it is not like a person saying I’m with you, he is not passively present but actively involved whether we see it or not.
• Believe it or not He even says more to you – he anticipates our questions and the fact that we may not believe so he promises and swears to us that he will be with us. He makes a covenant with us and he repeats it over and over. To Noah he says that he will not destroy the world again and he makes a covenant and reminds him with the rainbow.
• He doesn’t simply say I am with you but speaks to us and promises and legally binds himself to his word. The only thing that can separate us from the promises of God are our sins and they have been dealt with on the cross. Nothing can break the promise of God.
• There is more. He will say it again and again and again. He will keep on saying it until we are moved by His Spirit by the reality of His presence.
• This is deeply liberating. We are freed to serve him and join him in His mission.