Text –Amos 4:12- "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."
When you are going to God’s presence, there must be adequate preparation to encounter Him. Many Christians don’t get so much from Church because they approach God’s presence without adequate preparation.
Highlighted below are seven preparations that you must make anytime you are to approach God’s presence:
1. DEAL WITH SIN Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people”. You must deal with the issue of sin anytime you are approaching God’s presence. Sin is serious; it is an offense to God, and it breaks our fellowship with Him. Don’t find yourself in God’s presence with a sin that you have not repented from.
2. COME WITH GREAT EXPECTATION Every time you are coming before God, you must come with expectations; your expectation is an expression of your trust in God, and He will surely meet you at the point of your expectation. Proverbs 23:18 says, “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off”.
3. COME WITH FAITH James 1:6-8 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” James says here that without faith you can’t receive anything from God, so anytime you approach God’s presence, you must go with faith.
4. PREPARE A SEED 1Samuel 9:6-8 “And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?”
A lot of Christians do not set their offerings aside before leaving the house; it’s when the offering is being taken in Church that they suddenly start scrambling for something in their purses and pockets. This should not be so! Prepare your offering before leaving the house.
5. PAY ATTENTION TO INSTRUCTIONS Review your previous instructions, and be attentive to the Holy Spirit for new instructions. Don’t go before God while you are still violating His instructions, to you personally or to the church corporately. Proverbs 23:12 says, “Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge”.
6. DEAL WITH OFFENSES Mark 5:23-24 says, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” This implies that you must settle all grudges before you come before God’s presence.
7. PRAY AHEAD John 16:24 says, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full”. The place of prayer cannot be overemphasized… Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
PRAYERS
1. Holy Spirit, you are my helper. Guide me to prepare adequately as I approach God’s presence today and always.
2. Lord, I want to encounter you afresh every time I appear before you. Help me not to be careless in your presence.
3. Cast me not away from thy presence O Lord. Let me continually enjoy the joy of your salvation. Renew a right Spirit within me.