4 Ways to Enter His Presence

Psalm 15 [NIV] (BibleGateway.com)
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart

3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,

4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,

5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things
will never be shaken.
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I've been convicted more and more of how I am so quick to leave God's presence. I don't mean viewing His presence as a place, such as a worship service or even my devotion time. I'm talking about walking WITH the presence of God. Treating it as a coat of blessing, as it says in Psalm 56.

Just imagine: everywhere you go, the presence of God follows you. My goodness. What power. You will never stumble (v5), you will experience joy and favor unending (Psalm 68), and signs and wonders follow you (Pretty much most of the chapters in Acts)! This is just a short list of the countless promises of God. If you've encountered the presence, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, that's okay--keep searching for it!

So I ask myself, how may I keep God's presence on me? Well, I must first be able to enter His presence, shouldn't I? How am I supposed to carry it as a mantle if I cannot even access it in the first place?

Here are some ways:

1. (v2) Righteousness
We must get in an attitude of constant repentance to cleanse ourselves. Christians today are so easily offended when they are corrected by other brothers/sisters. I'm not encouraging false repentance, such as stating "FINE! SORRY! Goodness." and storm away frustrated. Repentance is not about whether we are right or wrong; rather it is about your heart. We forget that when we pray for God to help improve our character to become more godly, he sends us other people to do it.

2. (v3) Compassion
Simply put, if we protected other people's integrity and well-being, the church would be a place where people would want to go. After all, who loves being slandered by insults and hurt by others? On the other hand, I don't want Christians to be fake. Being honest with each other is not trying to harm them, but there is a time, place, and manner to do so. Continuing off my previous point, let us be slow to speak and quick to repent. I do not want us to become passive, however. To summarize: when it comes to talking, as it says in James 3, use your discernment and tame your tongue. All words--whether its rejection, neutral statements, or affirmation--have power.

3. (v4) Fear of the Lord
I could spend all day on this topic. One of the main reasons we don't have power as Christians because we do not fear God. At conferences, retreats, and conventions, I often see way too many overeager Christians who make ambitious covenants and promises to God. Purity, radical lifestyles, and life commitments are often the big sharks here. It is no fault to the pastor/speaker, the worship team, and the church itself, but to our own recklessness in how we deal with sin. We love to dine with angels and demons. Sometimes, even simultaneously. We do not honor that fear of the Lord. Read more on Charles Finney if you're interested on this subject. It's powerful stuff.

4. (v5) Extravagant Generosity
Christianity was based upon the principles of giving. Think about the most well known verses, such as John 3:16. For God loved the world that he gave. Jesus too gave his life. Yes, in verse 5, it is talking about monetary giving. But the context of David's psalms are always a reflection upon life. We must give our lives without "interest" (usury), meaning we should not expect anything in return! Wow! And the best part is this: we must do cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7. Ohhhhhhh boy. This is what gets most Christians right here. Many times me and my friends see homeless people and we often attempt to AVOID them. When by chance they grab our attention, we reluctantly pull some change out and give it to them. I want to challenge ourselves to look deeper into what we give and to do it with joy. Jesus did not sacrifice himself with a frown and a whining voice. He did it, with all his heart, cheerfully.