Creating Space for God's Presence in Our Lives

Devotional

Day 1: Creating a Spiritual Sanctuary

In our journey to make a place for God, we begin with the intentional practice of prayer and fasting. This spiritual discipline is not merely about abstaining from food or reciting words; it is about aligning our hearts with God's desires and inviting His presence into our lives. By prioritizing His will over our own, we create a spiritual sanctuary where God can dwell. This process requires dedication and a sincere desire to seek God's face, allowing Him to transform our hearts and minds. As we engage in these practices, we open ourselves to the profound peace and guidance that comes from being in communion with God. [03:31]

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to create a spiritual sanctuary in your life through prayer and fasting?

Day 2: Overcoming Spiritual Apathy

Spiritual apathy is a subtle yet powerful force that can hinder our relationship with God. It manifests as stagnancy and complacency, preventing us from experiencing the fullness of God's presence. We are called to be spiritually disturbed, to seek holiness, and to be agitated by the spiritual environment around us. This requires a willingness to be shaken and emptied of self-interest, allowing God to fill us with His presence. By actively pursuing a vibrant spiritual life, we can overcome apathy and draw closer to God. [09:30]

"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:14, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one area of your life where you feel spiritually apathetic. What practical steps can you take to awaken your spiritual fervor in this area?

Day 3: Embracing Humility

Humility is essential in receiving God's word and allowing it to transform us. The story of King Josiah serves as a powerful example of this truth. Despite his young age, Josiah demonstrated humility by accepting the word of God and repenting for the sins of his people. His actions remind us of the importance of approaching God with humble hearts, inviting Him to search and know us, and to remove any hidden idols or high places in our lives. By embracing humility, we open ourselves to the transformative power of God's word. [18:16]

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 14:11, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you practice humility today to allow God's word to transform your life?

Day 4: Confronting Compromise

High places in our lives represent areas of compromise and undealt with issues that can lead to spiritual destruction. We are urged to invite the Holy Spirit to reveal these areas and to take decisive action to remove them. By confronting these high places, we allow God to fill us with His peace and presence. This process requires courage and a willingness to let go of anything that hinders our relationship with God. As we deal with these compromises, we create space for God's glory to dwell in our lives. [25:17]

"Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." (Hebrews 6:1, ESV)

Reflection: What is one high place in your life that you need to confront and remove? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to help you in this process?

Day 5: Inviting the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our guide in identifying and dealing with the high places in our lives. By inviting Him in, we allow God to heal and restore us, creating a space for His glory to dwell. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live a life that is pleasing to God, guiding us in truth and righteousness. As we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, we experience the fullness of God's presence and the transformative power of His love. This invitation is a daily practice, requiring us to be open and receptive to the Spirit's leading. [28:49]

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26, ESV)

Reflection: How can you intentionally invite the Holy Spirit into your life today to guide and transform you?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound theme of "Making a Place" for God in our lives, emphasizing the importance of creating a spiritual sanctuary where God can dwell. This journey begins with intentional prayer and fasting, as we seek to align our hearts with God's desires. The story of King Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34 serves as a powerful example of how we can remove spiritual clutter to make room for God's presence. Josiah, despite his young age, took bold steps to purge the land of idols and high places, demonstrating a zeal for holiness and a commitment to God's ways.

Josiah's actions remind us of the necessity to remove spiritual apathy and pride from our lives. Spiritual apathy, characterized by stagnancy and complacency, can hinder our relationship with God. We are called to be spiritually disturbed, to seek holiness, and to be agitated by the spiritual environment around us. This requires a willingness to be shaken and emptied of self-interest, allowing God to fill us with His presence.

Furthermore, we must confront spiritual pride by humbly accepting God's word and allowing it to transform us. Josiah's humility in receiving the word of God and his subsequent repentance serve as a model for us. We are encouraged to approach God with humble hearts, inviting Him to search and know us, and to remove any hidden idols or high places in our lives.

The message concludes with a call to action: to identify and deal with the high places in our lives. These high places represent areas of compromise and undealt with issues that can lead to spiritual destruction. We are urged to invite the Holy Spirit to reveal these areas and to take decisive action to remove them, allowing God to fill us with His peace and presence.

Key Takeaways

1. Creating a Sanctuary for God: Making a place for God involves intentional prayer and fasting, aligning our hearts with His desires. This spiritual discipline invites God's presence into our lives, as we prioritize His will over our own. [03:31]
2. Removing Spiritual Apathy: Spiritual apathy, characterized by stagnancy and complacency, can hinder our relationship with God. We are called to be spiritually disturbed, seeking holiness and being agitated by the spiritual environment around us. [09:30]
3. Confronting Spiritual Pride: Humility is essential in receiving God's word and allowing it to transform us. Josiah's humility in accepting the word of God and his subsequent repentance serve as a model for us to follow. [18:16]
4. Dealing with High Places: High places represent areas of compromise and undealt with issues in our lives. We are urged to invite the Holy Spirit to reveal these areas and to take decisive action to remove them, allowing God to fill us with His peace and presence. [25:17]
5. Inviting the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is our guide in identifying and dealing with the high places in our lives. By inviting Him in, we allow God to heal and restore us, creating a space for His glory to dwell. [28:49]
** [28:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:01] - Personal Testimony and Fasting
[03:31] - The Importance of Making a Place for God
[06:06] - King Josiah's Story
[09:30] - Removing Spiritual Apathy
[11:52] - The Danger of Stagnancy
[15:13] - Removing Pride and Receiving the Word
[18:16] - Josiah's Humility and Repentance
[21:19] - Removing High Places
[23:57] - The Significance of High Places
[25:17] - Dealing with Compromise
[28:49] - The Role of the Holy Spirit
[32:22] - God's Response to Humility
[33:29] - Responding to God's Call
[34:22] - Invitation to Follow Jesus

Sermon Clips

"It is a wonderful morning in the house of God. I do not take for granted at all that we make those times for the Holy Spirit in worship. And like Pastor Dave just had the keys playing out, I just got the overwhelming sense as I was preparing this word. And then we have a little room in the back that we get to sit in and just kind of chill as speakers before we come out here. I just got on my knees and I thought, man, God, you want to be here. You want to dwell here. It's not that we're begging him or like, can you please want your heart to be turned towards us? He wants to turn his heart towards us. He wants to turn his face towards us. And that's why we're in this series, Making a Place." [00:00:24] (37 seconds)

"It all started with making a place for the Lord. And when you make a place for him, he is faithful and he shows up. And I challenge you today, if you have not yet laid something aside, if you have not yet laid down your desires and your self-interest to say, God, whatever you want from my life, do it. I challenge you to do that." [00:03:31] (22 seconds)

"Stagnant in the English, you know it, it means to be complacent, to just be kind of sedentary, to not be moving forward or going back, just setting. And we think, well, at least I'm not going backwards. But the Lord says, no, if you're stagnant, that's also not good. So in English, it means complacent. And in Hebrew, it means settled on their lees." [00:10:33] (24 seconds)

"Lees is the sediment on the bottom of the sea. And in Hebrew, it means settled on the bottom of the wine barrel. So settled on their lees is hardened or crusted. An image from the crust formed at the bottom of wines long left undisturbed. Here's a quote. The effect of wealthy undisturbed ease on the ungodly is hardening. They become stupidly secure. Whoa. Undisturbed." [00:10:57] (34 seconds)

"Josiah received the word with humility. It says, in the 18th year of Josiah's reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Japheth, son of Azaliah, and Messiah, the ruler of the city, with Joah, son of Joah, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God. So he's purging the land, and now he's moving on to restoring the temple back to how it should be. There should have been yearly, monthly upkeep of the temple, but they've neglected it. They've acquired so many idols. The temple, the place of worship to God, has been neglected." [00:15:16] (35 seconds)

"Josiah is confronted with the words of the law and he responds in humility and repentance. And he responds with a heart that says, this isn't just for everyone else. This is for me. Spiritual pride is being confronted with the word and saying, that's not for me. That's for that guy right there. Or I've heard this a million times, so it's not for me." [00:18:55] (25 seconds)

"humility is saying, Lord, this is for me. I receive the word. I've been coming to this house for year after year after year, but every Sunday I receive the word. I receive the word. And you say, Lord, no, search me and know me and examine me. And that's what David said. He said, Lord, search me, know me, search my heart. And it says David was a king after God's own heart. Why? Because God cannot resist a humble spirit." [00:19:25] (27 seconds)

"God specifically says you need to demolish them. Grind them to powder so that your generations after you have no evidence that they even existed. Oh, he hated the high places. What were the high places? The high places were areas of worship around the temple to other gods. So they had their worship to God going on here in church on Sunday. And then over here under this tree was the worship of provision." [00:23:12] (26 seconds)

"These are the high places, the things that we need to deal with. And here's my advice. When the Holy Spirit reveals what those things are in your life, deal with them. Crush them to powder. Let generations after you know that they never even existed because you have burned the bones on top of them. You did a little dance and you said, they're not here anymore. There's no more. The high place is because they're gone. I dealt with it." [00:25:17] (26 seconds)

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