ENTERING GOD’S PRESENCE

Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with PRAISE! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately PRAISE His name!”

The spiritual weapons God gives us to use in our lives are tremendous BLESSINGS for which we can be grateful. One crucial weapon at our disposal is PRAISE.

PRAISE defeats the enemy, but it must be genuine, heartfelt PRAISE and adoration, not just lip service or a method tried to see if it works. PRAISE and all other forms of prayer involve praising, adoration, worshipping, and thanksgiving.

Isaiah 63:7 says, “I will recount the loving-kindness of the Lord and the PRAISEworthy deeds of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel, which He has granted them according to His mercy and according to the multitude of His loving-kindnesses.”

The Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament defines “PRAISE” as telling a tale or a narration. In other words, praising God is simply recounting, remembering, or Word. We PRAISE, and all other forms of worship involve the Word. We PRAISE God according to His Word and goodness.

Prayer is born out of the relationship with God. It is coming, asking for help, and always remembering to PRAISE Him for all His goodness. It talks to God about something He has done and answers our prayers.  It is talking to God about something that bothers us. It is a fellowship, friendship, and intimacy and an opportunity to express gratitude for all God is and does in our lives. Suppose you want to have a practical prayer life. You develop an excellent personal relationship with the Lord. Trust that He loves you, is full of mercy and grace and will help you when you ask.

Every time I pray in the morning, Psalm 100 is my password in His Presence during my prayer time, and he asks that I want to live each day in amazement of all He has done for me. It helps me incorporate PRAISE and prayer into my daily walk with Him.

Therefore, when I open my Bible during prayer time, it is my habit to read Psalm 100. One of the quickest ways to get into the presence of God is through PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING, as I suggest playing worship and spiritual song.

Before the Psalmist said anything about seeking the Lord, he said, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His PRAISE shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together (Psalm 34:1-3). He is talking about PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING due to his praising and giving thanks to God, and he entered God’s Presence.

He says, “The ANGEL OF THE LORD encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man to those who fear Him. The young lion lacks and suffers hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good things” (v. 7-10).

The Psalmist reveals the way to our ever needing me and not lacking anything: We seek the Lord and develop a face-to-face relationship with the Creator of the universe. We are to enter His Presence and bask in it. People’s needs are met when I see God coming on the scene in the Bible and when I read my faith-filled materials. Whenever I see God manifest Himself in any situation, more wants or needs appear. In other words, when God shows up, things change.

When we enter the presence of God and the things we may be going through, we feel we have hope. Knowing that God is present and we have hIm at our disposal changes our perspective and attitude. That’s the reason I always pray and read the Bible. I also listen to CDs and read the faith-filled materials I collected from the five-fold ministries or anointing Christian authors because I expect the Lord to give me revelation knowledge behind those sentences and sermons, even if I am listening in the afternoon or evening while I am sleeping. God speaks to me through the anointing of preachers and authors.

That’s why the Psalmist said, I sought the Lord, and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears, but those who see the Lord shall not lack any good thing (Psalm 34:4, 10). Seeking the Lord to enter His presence is not only an act of the will. It s also an act of faith.

He was telling aloud the great things He has done. Even if I still have issues to be manifested, I want to thank God you answered my prayer before so that you will respond again. If you read about David during the fight with Goliath, he was very thankful that he could kill the bear while protecting sheep in the wilderness. So, he expected God would again help him slay the giants with a slingshot!

PRAISE is beautiful because it magnifies the goodness of God and strengthens us and all those who hear us, enabling us to deal with some of the more unpleasant things in life. In 2004 when I had that divine encounter called Nong Tonio, a divine messenger told me a prophecy about my family members. Some have been manifested and come to pass.

During my prayer time, I always read Psalms and thank God for what He has done for me, even if it’s not manifesting yet, for I call those things not as they were. I want to say thank Him in advance. If we are doing nothing more than sitting with our friends and speaking about some wonderful things God has done with our gratitude in our hearts, we are praising Him. The Bible says God likes those conversations, and when He hears them, He gets out His book of remembrance and records them (see Malachi 3:16).

I do murmur and grumble sometimes but on the other hand. I repented it. I may have all these issues, but thanks to God, I received many BLESSINGS from heaven. I am thankful that my relationship with Him is not a complicated ritual. I can PRAISE Him simply by telling others about His goodness and faithful love. I may not have many co-workers, friends, and family members to speak to. But I am telling you, readers, and thank Him for the BLESSINGS in my life. We will PRAISE Him all day long! Hallelujah!

Excerpted from Roselyn Van Dyk, books are available at the Amazon Kindle Store. These books are for inspiration, encouragement, hope, and insight.