How Do I Practice the Presence of God?
Cultivating Nearness as a Lifestyle
- by Gabriel Voorhees
Practicing the presence of God is not a mystical trick or a rare prophetic experience reserved for a few. It is the normal Christian life. Scripture calls us not merely to believe in Him, not merely to follow Him from a distance, but to abide—to live in His nearness as our daily atmosphere. Jesus didn’t say, “Come observe Me.” He said, “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4). Abiding is presence. Presence is relationship. And relationship requires discipline.
This is why discipleship is more than following. In our Western church culture, “follow” has been reduced to a button you press—no cost, no commitment, no transformation. But a disciple is one who shapes their life around the life of their Master. The word “disciple” is rooted in the same idea as discipline: a life formed by habits, practices, and intentional rhythms that cultivate likeness. Following Jesus without living like Jesus is not discipleship; it is admiration. But discipleship requires formation.
A life marked by discipleship has visible shape: time, desire, activity, and affection are continually being aimed toward Him. The early church “devoted themselves” to practices that produced nearness (Acts 2:42). These practices were not religious chores but the rhythms that made the presence of God a daily reality.
Practicing His presence means cultivating the activities of a disciple—prayer, worship, stillness, meeting together, reading and studying the Word, serving, loving, and exercising spiritual gifts. These are not just spiritual hobbies; they are the means by which we keep our hearts turned toward God in the middle of a world constantly pulling us away. Our desires, distractions, and habits wage war for the limited commodity of our time. Presence requires priority. Priority requires intentionality.
David gives us a picture of regular presence when he says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4). Thanksgiving and praise are not the presence itself—they are the entrance into awareness. They shift the atmosphere of the heart so we can perceive the One who is always near. The goal is not just the gates but the abiding, the staying, the awareness that we are never alone.
God is not a visitor. He is Emmanuel—God with us (Matthew 1:23). Not God who stops by. Not God who occasionally appears if we stir up enough emotion. Withness is His nature. But for many believers, presence feels like it comes and goes. That was the Old Testament reality: “The Spirit came upon” people for specific moments of power or assignment. But Jesus changed the relationship when He said, “He will be in you” (John 14:17). From upon to within. From temporary to permanent. From visitation to habitation.
Because the Spirit indwells, everything you do—whether you acknowledge it or not—is intertwined with His presence. You don’t take God with you; God has taken you into Himself. You are a mobile temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). A walking altar (Romans 12:1). A living site of divine presence, carrying God into every conversation, every room, every task.
This is why Paul calls us “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). dead things stay on the altar—living sacrifices climb off unless they continually choose surrender. Practicing the presence of God means continually placing our desires, habits, reactions, and attitudes on the altar of the heart. The cross has already crucified the old nature “in Christ,” but our daily decisions surrender what remains of that old way of living back to God. We offer not what is dead, but the parts of us still learning to live in resurrection life. This is what becomes holy, acceptable, and pleasing in His sight.
Practicing His presence is not about achieving a feeling; it’s about living from union. It’s about recognizing that intimacy is available every moment because God has made His home within us. We cultivate that awareness by turning toward Him again and again—through worship, through silence, through Scripture, through obedience, through community, and through the choices that keep our hearts uncluttered. Over time, this lifestyle of nearness becomes not an effort but a flow. Not an event but a habit. Not a visit but a dwelling.
Presence is the atmosphere of discipleship. Discipleship is the lifestyle of presence. And practicing the presence of God forms the prophetic heart to recognize His voice, perceive His movements, and walk in step with the Spirit—because He is not far off. He is here. In us. With us. For us. And through us.
So let your life become the place where God rests. Let every ordinary moment be an invitation to become aware of the One who is already near. You are a mobile sanctuary carrying the fire of His Spirit; a living altar breathing out worship through surrender. You were not made for occasional visits—you were made for continual nearness. As you choose the daily practices of a disciple, you will find that His presence is not hard to reach; it is the atmosphere you were born to live in. And from that nearness, your heart will learn to hear, your eyes will learn to see, and your spirit will rise into the fullness of the prophetic life Jesus always intended for you.