CHRISTIAN WALK
How to Experience the Presence
of God
By Frank A. DeCenso Jr.
Guest Writer
CBN.com –
Can we experience the presence of Almighty God on a daily
basis? I believe Scripture is clear that we can, and in this article,
I will provide four “steps” that will help us achieve
this tremendous reality: be accepted; be
aware; be active; and be alert.
I do not claim that this list of steps is exhaustive. In fact,
the majority of material in this article is merely meant to give
the reader some foundational principles that will provide a starting
point for further practical studies on living a life of dwelling
in God’s presence.1
Step 1: Be Accepted
Hebrews 10:19-22
19Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter
the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and
living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that
is, His flesh, 21and having a High Priest
over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Mankind can only approach the majestic presence of the Almighty
“by the blood of Jesus” shed during the redemptive
work of Christ2 on the cross.3 When we acknowledge
our sinfulness and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior4,
we appropriate His redemptive work for us5
, and we become recipients of the greatest opportunity humankind
has had since the Garden of Eden: the opportunity to walk once
again in the cool of the day with the God of the Universe.6
In Hebrews 10:19-22, we are encouraged to have “boldness”
to enter the “Holiest” – the place of God’s
manifest presence. In the Old Testament, only the High Priest
could enter the Holy of Holies once a year, and then only after
performing seven days of cleansing activities7 to ensure
he was fully consecrated (as well as providing him some
degree of certainty that he would come out alive!8)
Therefore, boldness was probably not part of their mindset. Aaron’s
sons, Nadab and Abihu, may have been bold when they offered “profane
fire before the LORD”9 , but fire came out from
the presence of the Lord and consumed them.10
We however, because of the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross
as our “High Priest”, are encouraged to draw as near
to God as the High Priests in the Old Testament did. Jesus’
death on the cross has consecrated believers to enter the holy
place of God’s presence with “full assurance”
that we are acceptable to the Almighty.
It was in the “Holiest” Place where the priests saw
the shekinah11 glory of God over the Mercy Seat. We
may never see God's presence in such a vivid demonstration.
Yet figuratively, He is inviting us into the very same place where
we can stand in awe of His glorious presence. Let us not forsake
the invitation that God has given us in Hebrews 10 to “draw
near.” What an awesome privilege to be invited to enter
into the very presence of Almighty God, because of Christ’s
work!
In light of this invitation (which indicates our acceptance to
God), there is another step to our experiencing God daily: be
aware.
1 E.g., see Psalm 91
2 John 14:6
3 Romans 3:24-26
4 Romans 10:9-10
5 John 3:16-18
6 See Genesis 3:8. This appears to imply that Adam
and Eve had face-to-face fellowship with the Creator.
7 Leviticus 8:33-34
8 See Leviticus 10:6,9;16:2,13
9 Leviticus 10:1
10 Leviticus 10:2-3
11 Hebrew, "the one who dwells" or "that
which dwells," usually represented in the Old Testament as
a cloud in which God was present.
Copyright © 2005 by Frank A. DeCenso Jr. All Scripture references
are NKJV unless otherwise noted.
Frank has been teaching the Bible in churches
and other venues for more than 20 years. He is currently the Ministry
Resources Director at Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Virginia
Beach, Va. He is an employee at Regent University in the Information
Technology Department. Frank is married and lives in Virginia
Beach.
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