DAY 8 Encouragement

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy,

at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.    Psalm 16:11

Nothing, absolutely nothing, satisfies like the presence of the Lord.  Today I want to exhort you to set aside time everyday to be in the presence of the Lord.  We know that as believers, He is always with us, but we MUST take the time to enter into His presence.  The path of life is in the presence.  If you need direction for your life, you need to get into His presence.  If you need joy, you need to get into His presence.  If you need strength, you need to get into His presence.  If you need refreshing, you need to get into His presence.

...that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat,

of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord.    Acts 3:19

A daily dose of the presence of the Lord is essential for us to live victoriously and to fulfill our destinies.  I'm not talking about some ritualistic routine that we've been doing for 20 years - get up, make coffee, read a chapter of the New Testament, pray for 5 minutes, and move on with our day.  Not that routines and habits are bad.  I believe they are essential for us to stay faithful in a task, but I'm talking about "quality" time everyday with the Lord.  It may be spent reading the Word.  It may be spent in meditation on a scripture or something specific the Lord has directed you in.  It may be spent in prayer and intercession.  It may be spent worshiping the Lord with a CD that you love.  It may be spent with you praising & worshiping the Lord with your own voice or instrument.  It may be you taking a walk in the country air and meditating on the beauty of the Lord and the beauty of His creation.

There are many avenues of spending time in the presence of the Lord, but we must use them.  I believe that it is essential to ask the Lord what He wants each and every day.  Our relationship with Him needs to be fresh and living, not stale and boring.  I want to challenge you to experience the presence of the Lord in a way that you haven't ever really considered.  You may be surprised at the revelation that comes from a new perspective.

If you are going through difficult times in any area of your life, I want to direct you to the presence of the Lord.  You will not be disappointed.  He will meet you there, and He will love on you, and you will want to come back for more.  Just you and Him!

Scriptures for reference and study: Psalm 23:3a; Psalm 23:6; Acts 2:28; Nehemiah 8:10