Entering into the Presence.

Your presence is Heaven to me.

What does that mean?

Heaven is eternal, which means in return we should desire to be in His presence forever. What does that mean exactly? I can live with someone, and be around them all day long and be considered constantly “in their presence”. Is there a difference between being in a human being's presence than being in God's presence? I think so. If we can't see or hear God, how are we supposed to know that we are in His presence? How are we supposed to convince other people that being in His presence is the most important thing, when we have no actual proof that such a place exists? Well, I think that there is a way to know that you are in the presence of God and in fact a way to lead other people into that same place.

Have you ever known someone that you admired or thought so highly of that whenever they come to mind or someone mentions their name, you automatically think of other good things as well. You may hear their name or see them and comforting memories come to mind or an overwhelming feeling of being safe and at peace. I know that I feel that way when certain people come to mind. For many it's the thought or presence of a parent. Someone who cared for you and who has shown you love for as long as you can remember may come to mind. Maybe for others it's a husband or wife, or boyfriend or girlfriend. When a friend asks about that significant other you just can't help but smile because you are so happy and excited that you have them in your life and so in love with how they love you so well. Imagine all of those people, and all of those feelings all flooding into your heart at the same time. That, times about a million, is the feeling that comes with being in the presence of the Lord. It's the feeling of being safe and protected; of being loved and cared for. It's the knowledge that the love we receive from the Lord is being given right back to Him with praise and adoration. It's the kind of presence that fills your cup so that it is overflowing, the kind of love that cannot be forgotten or turned away once experienced. Now, if we truly believe that the love from our Heavenly Father is the best and only thing we need; shouldn't we want to be in that place? Shouldn't we desire to feel and experience all of those things and grow more and more in His love each day for all of eternity? I have personally found that nothing is more satisfying or worthy of my time and devotion.

Now, if you're reading this and feel no desire to have that same outpouring of love and affection from the only person that will ever love you freely and unconditionally; you may want to stop reading here. The rest of this article is going to get pretty crazy.

So how then do you access this presence? How do you get to a place where you can simply sit at the feet of God and worship Him and experience all the love He has for you? The answer is so simple. When Jesus died and rose again He tore the veil that separated us and God in half. This means that because we were separated from God because of our sins, when Jesus took all of those sins to the cross and paid the price for them there was nothing separating us from God anymore. There was then and will forever be direct access to the Lord and His unfailing love for us. This is pretty cool, but it definitely gets better. Since this gift of salvation and relationship with Jesus is free, all we have to do to access it is say “yes”. Say “yes” to the free gift that Jesus died all those years ago to give you, and accept Him as King and the center of your heart. Now, whether you think you have done this a million and one times or you have never even prayed to Jesus before, this free offer of love and eternal life never runs out. If you come to the Lord with sincerity and humility, He will not turn you away; He will make you His new creation. I was listening to a podcast last night in which a pastor was talking about the new creation we become when we accept and love Jesus. Now, just to stomp out any fears or hesitation; this transformation is not a makeover. God loves you. He loves the you He created and how unique and unlike anyone else you are. He does not want to change all of the amazing things about you that He so intricately designed, He wants to redeem and restore you. This means that He wants to restore you to the creation He originally designed you to be. The Bible says that “anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has passed and the new has come”. When we accept Jesus, all of our sin and mistakes are wiped clean with the blood of Christ. After you first accept Him, the Holy Spirit forever lives in you and will constantly be growing and shaping you to look more like Jesus as you desire to follow Him.

If you haven't made this choice to follow and love Jesus, you can right now! Access that presence and be forever changed.

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17