Breaking Free by Beth Moore
Week 6: Chapter 5 — Enjoying God's Presence
Read Chapter 5 of Breaking Free. Primary Scripture: Isaiah 43:2; Psalm 16:11.
Previewing Week 6 of Breaking Free
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
Of all the freedoms captivity steals, perhaps the most devastating is this one: the loss of felt intimacy with the God who is always, objectively present.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Moore makes an important distinction between God's *omnipresence* (He is everywhere, always) and the *manifest presence* of God (the felt, experienced sense of His nearness). Why does that distinction matter for understanding why some Christians feel close to God and others feel distant — even when both are genuinely saved?
2.Isaiah 43:2 — 'When you pass through the waters, I will be with you' — is addressed to a people *in* suffering, not a people being rescued *from* suffering. What does it mean that God's promise of presence is often fulfilled *in* the fire and the flood rather than by their removal?
3.Psalm 16:11 says, 'In Your presence is fullness of joy.' Moore argues that the chronic joylessness of so many Christians is a diagnostic symptom — evidence that they are not regularly experiencing God's presence, regardless of their doctrinal correctness. Do you agree? What might cause a person to be theologically sound but experientially distant from God?