Presence

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let 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. Heb 10:19-22 (NKJV)

The Sunday morning service had ended and I was scurrying around the auditorium getting ready to lock the building and catch up with my family for dinner. A man I had never met before came up and introduced himself and then asked me an unexpected question:"What am I feeling?" He asked. "As soon as I entered this building this morning I had goose bumps and I want to know what's going on." I paused a moment, looked him in the eye and said, "It is probable that you are having a physical reaction to being in the presence of God." He was at church the next week, and the week after that, and the week after that... He became a Believer.

It is true that Christ died for our sins, but that was not the end to His work. When He ascended into heaven to be with the Father, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in the lives of those who are followers of Christ. The veil that separated us from God has been removed and now we have access to the Father through the work of His Spirit. The ability to commune with God, an ability that was lost when Adam and Eve fell into sin, has been restored.

Can people really feel the presence of God? The old Pentecostal claim was that when it came to explaining the presence of God, "It was a matter that was better felt than telt." One would think that if the Holy Spirit is living with you and is living in you that it would be an experience that was felt. Knowing that when a person is filled with the Spirit, they are filled with power--sounds like something that would be felt. (Now let's deal with the elephant that is in the room) "RJ, have you ever experienced 'spiritual' goose bumps?" I know that my answer will annoy skeptics, but I would be lying if said anything other than "Yes!"

Prayer: "Dear Heavenly Father, You are the Creator of all that is, You are the Mighty God, the only God. You are also my loving Father and a dear friend. I love to be in Your presence, because it is a place of peace, of joy, of comfort, of encouragement, of strength, of all things good and the source of all that I need. Thank you for ordering the steps of my life. Thank you for Your patience and forgiveness. Thank you for being with me! Amen"