Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. (Psalm 84:10).

Nothing can compare with being in the presence of God. We are called to be in that place. Still, so many struggle with experiencing God in their lives. It is not up to God, because He wants all of us to be in His presence. That’s why he created Man to live for Him.

The truth is, that humans are as close to God that we ourselves want us to be. James says: Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8).

When we choose to be near to God, He stays near to us. How close this relationship and fellowship should be, is up to us. If we live in sin and disbelief, then it hinders us to dwell in God’s presence. And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? (Hebrews 3:17).

Because of sin those people did not enter the Promised Land. They died in the desert, a place connected with lack of fruits and dry monotony. The lives of those whose are not in God’s presence will be like this.

Disbelief also hinders us to enter God’s presence. And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:18-19).

Search your life to see if you are in God’s presence or not. God has prepared a rest for those who are in His presence. Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience (Hebrews 4:6).

Therefore, make your hands clean, and cleanse your heart from double-mindedness and disbelief, that you might enter into God’s presence and rest. For God’s presence is where God is, and He is only in two places. The one place is heaven, the other place is with those who fear Him and bow under His word. The righteous perish and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil…These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. (Isaiah 57.1 66.2b).

If we say we love God, then we would do what the word of God tells us to do. We will then live our lives according to His word, and do what is necessary to enter into His presence... Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23).

Now that we know that it is up to us how close to God we want to be, let us do what is necessary to enter into His presence!