Practicing His Presence

By Teo A Babun

PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE:  8 Minutes of Daily Intimacy with God is a collection of daily prayers and meditations to give you comfort, guidance, hope, and encouragement every day of the year. Each short session begins with a parallel scripture to deepen your connection to God's wisdom and provides a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Babun Group, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798218309565

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REFERENCES & CREDITS

Copyright© 2023 by Teo Babun

All rights reserved

ISBN 978-0-9765016-2-6

E-ISBN 979-8-2183095-6-5

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Many of the inspirations of the author comes from his devotional times while using My Utmost For His Highest, The Golden Book of Oswald Chambers, Discovery House Publishers, Copyright© 1963. All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

To my wife Mary (Maija), who

encouraged me and helped me

during 42 years of early morning devotionals to make this project a reality.

And to Dr. David Befus, who trusted my work.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Preface

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

INTRODUCTION

Galatians 4:6

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba,[a] Father.

*Abba is Aramaic for Father, Daddy, Papi

Practicing His PRESENCE-8 Minutes of Daily Intimacy with God is a collection of daily prayers and meditations. Each day is accompanied by a parallel scripture, personal prayer and wisdom for the day to help us reflect on God’s direction throughout the day. Together, they offer comfort and guidance, hope and encouragement for every day of the year.

In Practicing His PRESENCE-8 Minutes of Daily Intimacy with God you’ll find protocols to govern how we should live every day of our lives, from how to deal with anxiety to our responsibility to be Christian witnesses. This book will challenge you to expand your outlook, solidify your relationship with God, and fulfill your spiritual calling.

If you are like me, time restraints, or personal emotional circumstances, keep us from having good daily quiet-times with God. In Practicing His PRESENCES Minutes of Daily Intimacy with God you’ll find the resources and tools to help you get close to God every day of the year.

I pray that you will find this work to help you get closer to God by helping you to pray and remember the essentials of our faith every day of your life.

PREFACE

In the wake of the 1959 Cuban Revolution, I found myself displaced to Miami, Florida at the age of eleven. My beloved home country had declared itself an atheist state. As I grew, I heard stories about my fellow Cuban Christians struggling to assert their basic human right to practice their faith. Finally, as a young man, I felt a strong calling to leave the business world and start a ministry to bless and support the emerging Church in Cuba.

Early on as I was trying to follow my vision, I was inspired by reading the collected teachings of Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite friar titled The Practice of the Presence of God, and ultimately, I was inspired by our Lord Jesus Christ -our primary example for Godly living. As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. Today, I manage an international Christian ministry which serves thousands of vulnerable and victimized children and hurting people throughout the Americas Region.

Over the years, as my team and I worked to help widows, orphans, the poor, the elderly, displaced refugees, and others, one of our greatest challenges was to not be so busy at work that we neglected our relationship with God. Sometimes we feel that we are just too busy to pray. That’s only human. When I feel that way, I remember the bigger picture, and then I forgive myself and get back on my knees.

I have come to see that the Word of God is very clear: we can deepen our relationship with God by drawing near to Him.

The purpose of this book is to guide and support the reader to draw near to God on a regular basis, so that His wisdom will guide your life more and more. As we read in James 4:8: Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be able to share this work with you. Spending time with God will give you courage to face each day with strength! Always remember--He’s right there with you. Whatever you are facing, whatever challenge is looming in your life, He will not let you down and He will never leave you (see Deuteronomy 31:6).

Working with this book will help you develop a simple routine where you can practice His divine presence and find joy and intimacy in your relationship with God. You will see how easy it is to devote eight minutes a day to a lifetime habit that will reward you in ways both seen and unseen. I pray that this Practicing His PRESENCE-8 Minutes of Daily Intimacy with God devotional will bring you intimately closer to God and join you in the following conversation with our Father God:

Dear God, I want to be faithful to You; I want to meet with You every day to receive Your wisdom and specific directions. Help me have the discipline to get my spiritual life in order. I want to become intimate with You so that I can develop the characteristics of Jesus and be more like Him.

In Christ,

Teo Babun

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

Luke 11:1-13

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.

² He said to them, "When you pray, say:

"Father,[a]

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.[b]

³ Give us each day our daily bread.

⁴ Forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]

And lead us not into temptation.[d]"

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

⁹"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead?¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Mark 11:22-25

²² Have faith in God, Jesus answered.²³ ‘Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

January

AΩ

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Revelations 3:8

JANUARY 1

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Matthew 5

²⁶ I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Let God mold you in His image: pure, holy, and right. This will require the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. It is a tough process where He wants you to recognize your nature of self-centeredness, but be encouraged, for He will bring you out, .pure, spotless, and undefiled

PRAYER STARTER

O God and Father, have your way to change me, mold me and make me into your image. Help me Lord to be willing to be trained by your Holy Spirit to do what is right every time; pay my debts, reconcile with man, and be patient and holy in my disposition. You have branded into me a supernatural knowledge of right and wrong; help me to follow through and use it, so that I may look more and more like Jesus Christ: Pure, Holy and right

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 2

SCRIPTURE TODAY

2 Peter 1

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Be diligent to form new habits that will help you build character, and that will transform you into a mature Christian.

PRAYER STARTER

Father help me to form good and Godly habits that will build my character. God, give me strength to be disciplined and diligent to do what Jesus would do in every circumstance of my daily life; I realize that You are interested in how I act every minute of the day. Father, help me place my habits and my character at the foot of your cross, and I yield to your dispensation. Lord help me to be totally obedient to the omnipotent power of your grace, which engineers all of my circumstances.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 3

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Hebrews 12

⁵ And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Be alert and receptive to the areas where the Lord doesn’t want you to be blind any more. Let the Lord have His way with you through His discipline, so that He can sanctify you.

PRAYER STARTER

My Lord and my God help me to not be discouraged or angry when You discipline me or rebuke me. Let me see it as a warning and an alert to help me open my eyes to see clearly that I need to fix something in my life, where you don’t want me to be blind any longer. Help me let You work in me so that You can sanctify me completely. God, give me the necessary maturity to let You have your way with me.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 4

SCRIPTURE TODAY

James 1

⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Act and look like a Christian! You should manifest your relationship with God in the way that you worship and in the way that you talk and walk. God wants to produce in you a finish product, so don’t get careless in your everyday life, watch your conduct!

PRAYER STARTER

O God and Father, make me serious about my relationship with You. May your Holy Spirit make me perfect and complete to be able to worship You with perseverance and consistency. May my life reflect your light in me to anyone who meets me. Father protect me against being careless or lazy in the details of my Christian life. Protect me also against my independent nature and of insisting on my self-interest in my prayers to You. Lord, help me to persevere in building a strong relationship with You, so that You may produce a finished product in me.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 5

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Ezekiel 37

³ He asked me, Son of man, can these bones live? I said, O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Your goal should be less of you, and more of Him. Be careful not to be running and filling your life with activity-thinking that this is inspiration from God. Remember that is much easier to do something than to trust God. Take an oil check of your life today, and determine where you are and where you are going.

PRAYER STARTER

Father, help me to decrease the amount of panic activity, like staying super busy or inventing a million things to do, and then confusing this action with inspiration from You. Protect me from my human drive which would rather work for You than trust in You. Jehovah, please change me where I need change. May your Holy Spirit reveal in me your love and understanding, so that I may be truly inspired by your sovereignty and greatness.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 6

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Ephesians 1

¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Exhibit your salvation in the things that you do and say. God has already developed all the gifts that you need to deal with any adversity, and with all of your circumstances. Give God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your body.

PRAYER STARTER

Lord, prepare me to be pure and holy no matter what trials and demands You have placed before me. Help me to be willing to rise to the occasion, and deal with any adversity. Lord, with thanksgiving, I submit to your will, knowing that You are building me up and training me. Help me to remember that You are often just trying to teach me humility. Lord, give me confidence to know that You know exactly what You are doing.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 7

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Matthew 5

³⁹ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Exhibit Jesus Christ in you at every opportunity. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for you as a Christian to show the sweet love of Christ in your life. It is the Lord’s honor that is at stake.

PRAYER STARTER

O God and Father, help me to have the courage and conviction in You not to fight evil with evil, insult with insult, or to use filthy language to make a point Let me see an attack as an opportunity to exhibit You in my life and imitate You. Father, let me see an insult as an opportunity to demonstrate the sweet love of Jesus in my life. Help me to understand that it is your honor and not mine that is at stake.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 8

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Matthew 5

²⁵ Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Settle your differences, with everyone, and don’t hesitate, do it quickly, without anger or hate.

PRAYER STARTER

Father help me to have Christian maturity and a hunger and love for your principles. Give me confidence and assurance that You will give my enemies what they deserve. Lead me to pay my adversary what I owe him, whether I am cheated or not; quickly! God, I pray that I will be a reflection of your character in my everyday life. Father help me not to nurture anger or hate in my heart by focusing on me. Instead, I pray that I would always seek to have You be proud of me, with my obedience to You.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 9

SCRIPTURE TODAY

2 Corinthians 5

⁷ We live by faith, not by sight.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Trust Jesus in your trials, difficulties, and in your celebrations. In fact, start trusting Him in everything that you do then watch how the Lord will begin to inspire you.

PRAYER STARTER

Lord, help me to be aware of your presence in everything that I do. Protect me against my pride, which always wants to be recognized or to be patted on the back. Help me to focus on what You have asked me to do. Lord, help me also to trust you in my trials, during my difficulties, and even in my celebrations. Father, I want to trust You in everything that I do.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 10

SCRIPTURE TODAY

2 Chronicles 15

¹⁷ Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Be committed and disciplined to stay fit morally and spiritually. Watch out for the small things in your life that can grow into spiritual spiders. Be constantly aware of the moral pitfalls. Prepare your heart by spending time with God in prayer and meditation.

PRAYER STARTER

Dear God, on my own I don’t have the discipline or the commitment to stay fit morally and spiritually. Father, I need your help to stay constantly aware of the moral pitfalls. Help me to take a daily inventory of my life, and to look into my heart at the smallest thing that could grow into a spiritual spider. Please cleanse me of any of these spiders which may be in me, and which is keeping me from having fellowship with You. Jesus, help me to be disciplined in my time of prayer and in the study of Your Word so that I can heed your warnings and be prepared in season and out of season.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 11

SCRIPTURE TODAY

John 15

⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Be assured that you can abide in Jesus in any of your circumstances. Make a determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now and wherever you may be placed in the future.

PRAYER STARTER

Father, help me to be committed and disciplined to bring every thought into captivity and offer it to You. In all my circumstances, help me to submit all my plans and desires to You. Help me to be determined to ask these questions before I make any move: What would Jesus do here? How would Jesus act here? What would Jesus say here? Lord, I want to stop being the creator of my own circumstances. Father, I am determined to abide in Jesus in all my circumstances now, and wherever You place me in the future.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 12

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Luke 9

⁶¹ "Still another said, I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good bye to my family.

THIS IS WHAT THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS TO ME

Be careful not to doubt God in a crisis. Be daring enough to invest yourself in the character of God to bring honor to Him. Be aware that God may ask you to do something that is totally against your common sense. If He does, don’t hold back. He may want you to risk everything for Him.

PRAYER STARTER

Lord, I want to follow You all the days of my life. Help me when I doubt your call or question your commands. Give me strength to be obedient Jehovah, I place my total trust in You, and will rely in the examples, models, and promises that You give me in your Word. God, help me to have spiritual ears to hear You clearly when You speak to me.

WHAT DOES THIS SCRIPTURE SAY TO YOU?

JANUARY 13

SCRIPTURE TODAY

Romans 8

²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ