Exploring the Divine Presence in Personal Faith Practices

The essay focuses on the integral role of God in guiding individuals through their spiritual journeys, emphasizing prayer and divine intervention as key elements. Drawing from personal experiences and theological insights, students will explore how a perceived connection with God fosters resilience, peace, and ethical living. The assignment encourages reflection on moments when divine presence felt most significant and considers how these experiences shape one's faith and actions. Through this exploration, students are expected to articulate their understanding of the relationship between God and personal spiritual development.

Running head: THE INNER LIFE OF THE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
THE INNER LIFE OF THE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1THE INNER LIFE OF THE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
To have a truly blessed life, one must understand the ways of God and understand how
his or her life is blessed to have the presence of God in it. To make our lives a truly meaningful
one, we must attain our inner lives, which is critically important to our life that we lead as a part
of the society. Being able to get in touch with our inner self is like feeling the existence of God
around us, and feel the love He has for us.
We must understand that whatever we do, our every action and work are the will of God
and He is the only one who controls us. God is the savior, the refuge: who would shield us
against any problems and dangerous situations. He is the Fortress (Psalm 91:2). He shall be the
guide and the Shepherd who would deliver us from our sins and give us place beside Him for
eternity. In Psalm 91:7, the Lord has said, “A thousand may fall at thy side, and ten thousand at
thy right hand but it shall not come near thee”; and He shall be the protector.
Being in touch with our inner selves makes us comprehend what we have been created
for: to be one with Christ in the Garden of Eden. Psalm 116:1 preaches that everyone has love
for the Lord and this love is also reflected by God as He protects everyone who loves Him and
has faith. Prayer is the single most useful tool and way that an individual can use to reach out to
the Lord and in the process also be more connected with his or her inner self.
1 Samuel 16:7 clearly states that God and man views things in very different manners, as
man only sees the outward appearance of things, but God looks at the heart of people. Thus He
loves a man for as he is, and not by the deeds or actions of men1. If we are able to keep our hearts
pure and follow the right direction, we should not be greatly concerned with our outer life. We
must remember that it is Christ and His Father, who decide our fates and we are all driven by
1 Cassidy, Sheila, Jean Vanier, and Jean Vanier. Sharing the darkness: The spirituality of caring. New York: Orbis
Books, 1991.

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them. Gal. 2:20 has said “I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” The inner godliness of an
individual is the same as the love of God that prevails throughout the universe. An ideal
Christian life is beautiful both inside and outside.
God is the savior and the refuge. He is the fortress (Psalm 91:2). Being aware of the
connection between our inner self and identifying the existence of God in it is the ultimate
knowledge that is to be gained2. To know how we are a part of the universal vine and are simply
a branch off the body of God, how are we connected with Him, is what that can ensure true
peace of mind. Psalm 27:13 says that everyone can witness the grace and goodness of the Lord in
the land of the living, and this is enough to feel the love of Him amidst everything in this world.
Joshua 24:15 asks us to serve the house of the Lord with our time and our services must be given
to Him.
Every one of us has two different selves. One that we show and reveal to every other
person, and the other one is ours. The latter one is not forecasted to others and this is something
that we keep to ourselves. This is where we can truly sense the existence of God in our lives and
feel that He is the one who controls everything and shields us from every possible harm. When
individuals try to enter into almighty’s presence, they must believe with faith, that he is the one
who is omnipotent along with omnipresent. He is surely the rewarder to those who assiduously
seek him3. The father of all rewards every effort that is empowered by grace to be with him. God
actually leads guides and directs his disciples towards the truth; this truth shall be revealed rather
corporately and not individually. It might be not truth that while enjoying the presence of God
would not at all guarantee that all the thoughts those individuals have are right, but it can surely
2 Borg, Marcus J. The heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a life of faith. Zondervan, 2009.
3 Palmer, Parker. Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. John Wiley & Sons, 1999.

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be said that all the truths of the Gospel, which are disclosed in Scripture has to be embedded in
every disciple’s soul deep down. The father of all has provided his prophets, pastor, evangelist
from the last 2000 years the ability to guide the church and to serve as the companions of the
journeys of his disciples. If everything outside the body of a true disciple is chaos, the inside of
that individual must experience God in all of those, as he is the savior of the souls and his
righteousness. The prayers of the disciples are not for reminding almighty to pay attention, but
are to knowing that he is there4. For a disciple, the inside of his in enlightened with the revelation
of Christ and they must possess that possession. Almighty shall show his disciples the path to
him and on the way there might be elements of distraction and things can turn out to be more
problematic than it seemed, but there has to be God working behind the scenes in every part of
the journey. This journey is the most important thing in the life of a devotee.
It is a matter of fact that the Christian doctrine is the blessing in everywhere, as every
aspect of it is undeniably good tidings. It actually lies upon the life and every parts of it with all
the possibilities that show to be full with the rewards and goodness from God. This actually
glorifies the life from every possible aspect and manifests its relations with the future by
revealing the eternal truth that if begins never ends, but it grows under the God’s care gradually
attaining greater knowledge ennobling the virtue5. The spiritual life of a disciple eventually
becomes a movement amongst the outward service and the inward reflection that calls for the
new vision of the self of the disciple like the ward of God and other visions regarding the world
4 Dawn, Marva J. Keeping the Sabbath wholly: Ceasing, resting, embracing, feasting. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing,
1989.
5 Taylor, Barbara Brown. Learning to Walk in the Dark: Because God often shows up at night. Canterbury Press,
2015.

4THE INNER LIFE OF THE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
as a creation of God6. When individuals invite someone in the practice oriented spirituality, they
invite those individuals to imagine that they are a part of a community of Christians to whom
they have to account for witnessing the gospel in their time7. Practice oriented spirituality can be
considered as a commitment to a typical and intentional way of living life for a prolonged tome
with an expectation that he might get spiritually anchored by others practices than being self-
dependent regarding specific frameworks in order to define his own spirituality8.
I have experienced the existence of God in myself. I have also felt that He is watching
over all of us and is shielding us against any harm that may reach us9. Praying has been the
medium which I have used extensively that has made me understand that He lives through us and
is always looking after us10. I have felt that He can be the one Who can guide us and deliver us
from sin. He is the one true Father and His Son will be the one Who must be looked up to.
Without God, there is nothing in the world. His powers run through the universe and He is the
one who decides the fate of every being. He is the one true being and we are all connected to
Him. He looks over and guards us all. Connecting to Him is not easy to do so, we must all first
understand that He resides within us, we must first fully understand ourselves and recognize that
6 Rohr, Richard, and Andreas Ebert. Discovering the enneagram: an ancient tool for a new spiritual journey.
Crossroad, 1990.
7 Andrews, Dave. Building a better world: Developing communities of hope in troubled times.
Crossroad, 1996.
8 Nouwen, H. "The three movements of the spiritual life: Reaching out." (1975).
9 Wink, Walter. The powers that be: Theology for a new millennium. Harmony, 2010.
10 Cross, Terry L. "Cultural competence." Encyclopedia of social work 20 (2008): 487-491.

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getting close to Him only means getting in touch with our inner selves. He is the one True Vine
and we are all connected to Him. God has answered my prayers. I have prayed to Him, not
because I have wanted something, but rather I have wanted to know that He exists within me,
and knowing so, it has given me the courage and the ability to withstand any troubling situations
that I have faced in my life.
God does not always make His presence felt in us. I is true that it may always not be
understood that He is watching over us But from my own personal experience, I can surely say
that He indeed does, and like a true benevolent Father, who loves us unconditionally, He comes
forward when we need Him the most. When we are in our deepest trouble, when we cannot find
the light anywhere, He comes and protects us. He is the shield, the refuge and the deliverer from
sin. He loves us and would show mercy to even those who have committed the most despicable
sin. Without Him, there is nothing greater, nothing that can elevate us within ourselves and yet
give us profound peace.

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References
Andrews, Dave. Building a better world: Developing communities of hope in troubled times.
Crossroad, 1996.
Borg, Marcus J. The heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a life of faith. Zondervan, 2009.
Cassidy, Sheila, Jean Vanier, and Jean Vanier. Sharing the darkness: The spirituality of caring.
New York: Orbis Books, 1991.
Cross, Terry L. "Cultural competence." Encyclopedia of social work 20 (2008): 487-491.
Dawn, Marva J. Keeping the Sabbath wholly: Ceasing, resting, embracing, feasting. Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing, 1989.
Nouwen, H. "The three movements of the spiritual life: Reaching out." (1975).
Palmer, Parker. Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. John Wiley & Sons,
1999.
Rohr, Richard, and Andreas Ebert. Discovering the enneagram: an ancient tool for a new
spiritual journey. Crossroad, 1990.
Taylor, Barbara Brown. Learning to Walk in the Dark: Because God often shows up at night.
Canterbury Press, 2015.
Wink, Walter. The powers that be: Theology for a new millennium. Harmony, 2010.