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Enter Boldly
My experience with God’s presence goes back to a time when I was a child who was fascinated with the supernatural. In my bedroom, lying on the floor I began to sing a song my mother had been playing in the house. I had grew up praying and wanting to know God, but I was about to enter into something that not only energized me – it truly has helped shape my life.
Lying on the floor I heard a still, small voice say “think about what you’re singing.” The song was a desperate cry for a God you needed more than life itself. I stopped for a moment. Did I really mean this song? Was I really that in love with Jesus? I continued - this time singing from my heart. A gentle flow of God’s presence swept over my body as I heard the words, “I love you” being spoken beside me.
This really changed my life, and demonstrates the first and one of the most important keys to God’s presence…
Praise: Gratitude of the Heart
How can we not be thankful for the overflowing blessings which He has so freely poured out upon us? We can have no other reaction, having tasted and having seen, than to express our overflowing gratitude to the one who has given us all things. Praise is not merely a show of hands, a shout of exclamation, or the singing of a beautiful hymn. Can I praise by clapping my hands? Yes. Is clapping my hands, praise? No. Let me explain briefly.
The Gospel: Is It Good News or Bad News?
It is no wonder that we would think such thoughts today. Today, we are more merits-driven than ever. When things are going good and we are on a “mountaintop,” we subconsciously think that our good behavior got us there. So it should not surprise us when, in the times we feel so down and depressed, that we think that our behavior has upset God and so now He is pushing us away. This is the logic of many believers, and many churches today; but this is a lie.
