The presence of God is very crucial in the life of anyone who wants to be influential in the things that pertain to righteousness. Any child of God who does not carry the presence of God will fail because he will be struggling when he is supposed to be shining. In the reign of King Solomon, he observed that all those who could have easily refused to obey his commands submitted to him instead. Only the presence of God guarantees such. 1 Chronicles 29:25 says that,
“And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.”
Are your subordinates rebellious or despising you? Go and receive the power of God’s presence. Are you hiding instead of manifesting? Are your children refusing to submit to your instructions? It means you need more of God’s presence.
 
There are many people who have lost their relevance because they are too choosy. Many people struggle for kingdom assignments that feed their ego, while they run away from some other tasks. Some people will give God a list of why what He is asking them to do cannot be done. Making excuses to God can place you on the wrong side of His judgment (Luke 9:61-62). Excuses can move an individual from relevance to irrelevance. As a genuine Christian, wherever you find yourself, you must be concerned about impacting lives (Matthew 5:16). While David was in the cave of Adullam, all kinds of people with all sorts of problems came to him (1 Samuel 22:1-2). With the presence of God in the life of David, the problems of these people were solved and their status changed. Your success would be measured to a large extent by the number of lives that changed in your ministry. If your ministry cannot impact lives for good, it is either you are not salt, or you have lost your savour. Several years ago, I visited a friend. During my visit, I observed that his youngest daughter was carried on the back of her mother. This girl would just not allow anyone else to carry her except her mother. As I arrived at the house, the baby stretched forth her hands for me to carry her, and I did. Afterwards, I prayed for her and left. Months later, the mother of this girl confessed that on the day I visited, plans had been concluded to take the life of the baby, but these plans failed. You must pray earnestly so that your life, your ministry and your family can have more relevance in the Body of Christ. When many fall in the midst of trials, temptations and pressures, it is not because the grace of God is not there; rather it is due to a gradual loss of relevance. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.