How can I experience God’s presence today on earth and also for eternity?
James 4:8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
In Jesus and by his Spirit, God has already drawn as close to us as possible without violating the integrity of our choice. He will move closer when we respond to him with confession and faith.
Deuteronomy 4:29“But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.”
Psalm 145:18The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
God is omnipresent; thus, he is with us everywhere. We can choose to draw near to him at any time.
John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Hebrews 11:6It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
James 2:19You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
Revelation 3:20“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
We must believe that God exists before we can believe that he is with us. But admitting God’s existence doesn’t take us very far toward responding to him in faith. Knowing that God exists might even reveal, as it does with demons, that we don’t want to have anything to do with God.
Matthew 5:20“Unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Matthew 18:3He [Jesus] said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
There is only one way to experience God’s eternal presence—to turn from our sins, ask God to forgive our sins, and then ask Jesus to be Lord of our lives.
Psalm 16:11You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
John 14:23Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.”
God longs for us to enjoy fellowship with him. God’s solution to the sin in our lives is for us to come to him through believing in and accepting Jesus’ payment for our sin, turning from our sin, and obeying God. We experience God’s presence daily as we look to him and for him. That real experience, like the working of his Word, will vary depending on our condition. Sometimes he will teach, reprove, correct, and train us in righteousness. And sometimes there will be times of rest and renewal as preparation for the next round of learning.
