The Place of Your Presence 7-22-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the heavens above my heart. Let my spirit ascend and Your Spirit descend until heaven meets earth in my soul. Let it not be a moment, but a lifestyle. Continually cleanse the soil of my soul in Your blood and purify me in the fire of Your Spirit, pouring into my heart the love of our Father. By Your mercy and grace, let my life be holy ground, for wherever You are is holy. ... At Bethel, You opened the eyes of Jacob's spirit to You in a dream. He saw angels ascending to heaven and descending to earth. You stood beside him and assured him that You were the Lord God, saying, "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." As he woke, he realized this was more than a dream -- he had had an encounter with the living God. "Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place--and I did not know it!' And he was afraid, and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate to heaven" (Genesis 28.10-22). Where You are is holy ground, the house of God, the gate to heaven. "Bethel" means "house of God." Let our hearts be Bethel; let our lives be holy ground -- the place of Your presence -- because we have sought You and encountered You and welcomed You. Let us know and never doubt that You are with us and You will keep us wherever we go, that You will not leave us until You have done all that You have promised. That is the place where You have called us, that is the place of Your promise and Your power -- the place of Your presence. Let that place be in our hearts -- in Bethel, the house of God. Let our bodies be the temples of the presence of Your Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3.16-17). Then we will know, and everyone around us who needs to know You and power of Your presence will know, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. And how awesome is this place!" In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe contact me at Messiah Ministries -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Join us at The Fountain on the 3rd Saturday night of every month at 7pm. Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!Daily archives of my devotional at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com