At one time or another all of us have either met or heard about someone who has had the blessing of truly “feeling” the intense love of God. Sometimes it is in prayer, sometimes in worship, sometimes in near death experiences and sometimes just out of the blue. I have asked God for that experience so many times I cannot remember … “just once Lord can I feel your love for me like that?” You know what He told me — “it’s up to you.”

Consider the tabernacle and the temple for just a moment as they were in the Old Testament. The Outer Court or the Court of the Gentiles was where everyone entered. For us today that is the world we live in, full of unbelieving and unsaved people. Passing through the Outer Court one entered the Holy Place where the sacrifices were made. For the Christian today, the believer in Christ, this is our salvation, and unfortunately it is where most Christians stay. Consider this for a moment as the place of the carnal Christian; saved but not living the spiritual life God has intended.

But with the sacrifice of Jesus’ life on the cross we are now able to pass from the Holy Place into the Holy of Holies or the Holiest Place. Right past the veil, which has been torn down and into the place where only the High Priest was able to go, and then only one time each year; on the Day of Atonement. The Holiest Place – the very presence of God.

What Israel hungered for, looked for and failed to obtain we have been given; shame on us for just contenting ourselves with the Holy Place. Living in the Holiest Place is fully entering into His rest and it is there that we will find the faith, the strength, the wisdom, and the love we need to deal with the giants in our world. It is where we will find the answers we need to get us through this life and on into our ultimate rest … the New Jerusalem.