“What shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM…..and this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial to all generations.” Genesis 3:14-15

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the Lord, I change not.” James 1:17 says God does not change like shifting shadows.

Thousands of years ago, God met Moses on a mountain and told him of things to come. Then God gave Moses the authority in which to conduct His business. Moses was to tell others that God was leading them under His name that doesn’t change: I AM.

This directive is the same because God doesn’t change. He still declares his Name to be a memorial to all generations. But do we live in the presence of the I AM? Do we lead our families and others in the truth of the I AM as a memorial for generations to come?

In a week of hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, where are you standing in God’s presence? In your personal life, are you facing immense pain? Uncertainty? Anxiety? Are you exhausted and wondering when physical, emotional or mental rest will come?

Let me remind you there are 5 truths of being in the presence of the I AM THAT I AM when you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ:

1. God does not change. He is the same One who gave Moses the assurance that His Name holds all infinite power. This is still true today. We have weakened God to a genie in a bottle or the same as some cosmic force that guides the karma of the world. He is not karma. He is not mother earth. He is not the god other religions worship. He is the “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:15). He has not diminished just because our perception of him in 2017 has changed.

2. As a child of God, you are filled with the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead. The power of I AM THAT I AM is present in you. The Holy Spirit is not you. It is God’s holy presence in you. It is also not a mystical force you have to invite into your space or seek through contemplative practices. If you have a personal relationship with Christ by accepting His death and resurrection as payment for your sin and have received His gift of eternal salvation, He lives in you as the Holy Spirit. The Godhead are three in One. The I AM is the authority over your life. You are sealed by Him (Ephesians 1:13). You are marked by the Name and presence of the I AM.

3. The I AM THAT I AM leads you as He led Moses. What is God calling you to do right now? Is He calling you to be strong when you don’t feel like it? To complete a task you’ve been putting off because you don’t think you can really do it? To believe God is working rather than doubting? To rest in Him? To come to Him with your pain rather than trying to handle it yourself? Wherever you walk, position yourself behind the I AM THE I AM.

4. The enemy is defeated by I AM THE I AM. Discouragement and pain is epidemic our lives. Have you noticed? Are you living here right now? The enemy of God, Satan (yes, he has a name), wants to devour Christians (1 Peter 5:8). Are you feeling devoured? Look at the burning bush whose fire doesn’t consume. This Christ you follow has defeated Satan and Christ is the authority in your life. Stand under His authority. Position yourself behind the great I AM rather than trying to walk through the valley of the shadow of death on your own.

Walk behind Him. Satan cannot harass you when he has to answer to the I AM.

5. Where you place the I AM in your life is the memorial left for generations. I didn’t say what you do for Christ leaves the legacy, but where you place Him in your life and the life of your family. Are your kids running from Jesus? Are your grandkids doing things which break your heart? Is your family falling apart? Don’t define Christ’s legacy by what is currently happening, but declare, pray, and believe in who He is in your family.

The I AM will work in their lives when you don’t have control. Fight for your family in the spiritual realm. Your prayers, praises, and declarations of who God is in your family live on after you do because God is eternal. Believe God is working even when you don’t see. Ask that God be glorified. Ask Him to be the I AM for generations to come in your life and that of your family.

Take off your shoes metaphorically on a daily basis acknowledging you are in God’s presence every second of your day because He has given you the presence of His Holy Spirit. The presence of His holiness is with you in your pain. You are under the shadow of the I AM. Let it cover you. Position yourself in His Name. At it, every knee shall bow (Phil 2:10), every cell of creation cries out (Luke 19:40).

You belong to the I AM.