What The Entrance Should Be!

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs, Know that the Lord is God, It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." (Psalm 100 NIV)

When we come into His presence (and not just the church building), we should be shouting for joy, worshipping Him with gladness, coming before Him with joyful (not sad) songs, knowing the Lord is God.  Hallelujah!

It is He who made us (we didn't make ourselves no matter what we think) and we are His--His people, the sheep of His pasture and He is our great Shepherd.

Getting into the presence of God is a matter of re-thinking who we are and acknowledging who He is. We enter into His presence with thanksgiving. Now, since He is God and He is omnipresent, His presence is everywhere--not just where we relegate Him. I'm inclined to think that many of the church's ills that exist today, exist because we have relegated God to a specific location and a specific time and we don't acknowledge Him outside of that. This is an attitude and perception that must be laid to rest.

If Holy Spirit resides in me, then I am always in God's presence and should always be mindful that I am. If I am mindful of this one thing--He is with me--always--I would pay more attention to the things I do. So, would we all. If we all reached the same conclusion, then we could eradicate sin--especially in the church--and become a model for others so they too would be able to Enter Into His presence--daily.

When we first open our eyes--we should give thanks--because He didn't have to allow us to wake up. Some may say their alarm clock wakes them, but many alarm clocks have sounded the alarm, but the bodies who set--never rose again. It is He who wakes us and gives us the strength of our limbs and a reason to praise. Enter In!

If we stop and think about all He has done, all He is doing, and all He will do on our behalf, we should break into a song of gladness--full of life and a beat so intense we can't keep our feet still. Enter In!

No matter how short we fall of being perfect and faithful, He is always perfect and faithful to us--no matter what we do--we will never stop His faithfulness. Even when we cause Him to be sad over our behavior, He loves us enough to wait for us to get it right, never leaving or forsaking us. We'll never be abandoned by God! Enter In!

Songs of worship--letting Him know we know--just how much He loves us and how much He cares for us--are more like a melodic love song--songs filled with so much love that tears fall with the revelation of that love.

Songs of praise--are like a testimony in rhythmic beat--livelier than worship, igniting movement--stomping our feet or dancing, clapping our hands, shouting the victory in praise of Him.

Sometimes our prayer life--especially when we pray in the spirit--using the prayer language He's given us that no man can understand--becomes a chant--a song all by itself and that's okay. We know we've entered in when we allow Holy Spirit to take over and when He's finished, hearts are lighter, visions clearer, and for most of us--that can do anything but fail mode comes upon us and we are ready for the world. Enter In!

All of this--worship, praise, dancing in the spirit on the altars of our hearts--is how we should enter into His presence on a daily basis.