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What is the use of having rights when you never exercise them? Can you imagine someone getting free access to an exclusive club or the best season tickets to a sports stadium- for life- and never use it? What about an employee getting free shares and being afraid to exercise it? Foolishness, we would all agree!

Through my wife giving birth (bless her!), my children have been given the right for us to be their parents. This allows them access to us, and comes with a confidence and assurance that they can be in our presence whenever they choose. They must however exercise this right, which they do without reserve. I always find it fascinating that my children would come running toward me when I come home, or always ask where I am when I am not there. They are forever climbing over me and wanting to be with me when I am around. They have no reluctance of sharing with me whatever is on their heart. They are exercising their right of being our children. And I love this!

How much more have we been given an even greater right and privilege through our adoption and new birth as children of God. And through putting our faith in His faithfulness, we have a confidence and assurance that we can be in His presence whenever we want to. Sadly, many believers don't exercise this right.  When it comes to God, believers will rather exercise their right to remain silent and prefer an attorney to speak on their behalf: as if they are presented before a judge or government representative. Many believers, as in the Old Testament, are happy for the “Moses” in their life to speak to God on their behalf- leaving the critical business of prayer and communion with the lover of their souls...to another.

This is a gross misunderstanding of the Word of God.

We have the ultimate love story, of a King  becoming a servant, going to the ends of the earth, to restore a broken relationship and separation, which He had no part in causing. And because of God's plan of salvation in sending His Son to bring reconciliation and restitution for us, we can now boldly enter the throne room with grace. He did this for YOU.

Heb. 10:19-22  'Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.'

The enemy's primary strategy is to get us to lose this confidence and assurance- the ease of entering into the throne room- through piling guilt and condemnation on us because of the life we are living or have lived! Someone once said: “don't believe the devil, even if he is right!” for the bible is very clear that once we accepted Christ as our Saviour, we are no longer slaves to sin and Satan but we are now sons of the Most High! We are no longer before a judge, but on the lap of a loving Father who delights in giving us His Kingdom!

My children see me as a loving father, and have a boldness and confidence to approach me about anything...(O Lord, may this never change!), whereas the person appearing before the judge has quite the opposite feeling, and have an uncertainty of what will happen when confronted and questioned. They are anxiously awaiting an uncertain outcome.

How do you view God?

The reason we struggle with this is because we put way too much emphasis on ourselves in terms of salvation and neglect that this is “from God”. He saved us, in spite of ourselves. There is no reason why He chose us: our good lives did not impress God, our lineage means nothing. He chose us because of Him! Because of God's grace and mercy. Because He wanted to!

Friends, we have a ticket, stamped with the blood of Christ, to enter the presence of God 24/7/365.

In His presence all our fears melt away- we have peace with Him, our yokes and burdens become light and there is fullness of joy!

Have you tasted this?

O, what you would give to have it again... like the Psalmist – one day in His courts would be exchanged for a lifetime of earthly pleasures.

Don't you know that it is for someone like yourself that He made Himself available? Why don't you enter in? Why not exercise your right? In the midst of what He has done for us, there is no excuse not to run to him and share our hearts before the King. He is in fact, our loving Father longing for us to come closer...