Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Piggybacking on yesterday’s post, the Holy Spirit showed me that everywhere in the LORD’s presence is Holy.

Today’s scripture, Exodus 3:1-5 (NIV) shares…
[1] Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [2] There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. [3] So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” [4] When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” [5] “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Consider…
Today’s post was inspired by my memory of hearing today’s beautiful song sung many years ago. I recall feeling ushered into God’s presence and having my heart filled with awestruck wonder. Look at these lyrics…

We are standing
On holy ground
And I know that there are angels
All around
Let us praise Jesus now
We are standing in His presence
On holy ground

This is holy ground
We’re standing on holy ground
For the Lord is here
And where He is, is holy
This is holy ground
We’re standing on holy ground
For the Lord is here
And where He is, is holy

We are standing
On holy ground
And I know that there are angels
All around
Let us praise Jesus now, let us praise
Let us praise Jesus now, let us praise
Let us praise Jesus now
For we are standing, we are standing in His presence
On holy ground

This song sets an atmosphere of worship in the presence of God.

As I felt the atmospheric shift in my spirit again, I imagined feeling like the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-5 (NIV)…
[1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. [2] Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. [3] And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” [4] At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. [5] “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Whenever we’re in the presence of God, we should become acutely aware of His worthiness of our worship, and our unworthiness before Him. We must never become so right in our own eyes that we forget it’s our faith in Jesus that makes us right in God’s eyes.

Romans 3:22-24 (NLT) affirms…
[22] We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. [23] For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. [24] Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Unfortunately too often we let our few good deeds makes believe we can approach God because we’re in good standing, which causes us to forget when we’re in His presence we’re standing on holy ground.

This makes me think of Psalms 51:16-17 (NLT) that testifies…
[16] You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. [17] The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

When I read today’s scripture, I interpret God telling Moses to remove His shoes is akin to leave all the mess you’ve come through behind when you’re in my presence. I say that, because contextually, the passage begins with Moses traveling through the wilderness to the Mountain of God.

What this means for us is, we should take of our bad attitudes, and sinful desires before we approach God.

As I wrote that, the Holy Spirit led me to Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT), which exhorts…
[21] Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, [22] throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. [23] Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. [24] Put on your new nature, created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.

That tells me God doesn’t want us to just act new when we think we’re in His presence, He wants us to be new!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) explains…
[17] This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

This verse helps me see in today’s passage, that when we encounter God we must take off our old earthly ways in order to enter into His new eternal way.

Like Moses, when we encounter God’s presence, we are entering a time machine that transports us from the temporal to the eternal.

Encountering God’s presence should also transform us like Paul in Galatians 2:20 (NLT), who testified…
[20] My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Bottom line, when we’re standing in God’s presence we should be different.

That hit play on Micah Tyler singing…

I don’t wanna hear anymore, teach me to listen
I don’t wanna see anymore, give me a vision
That you could move this heart, to be set apart

I don’t need to recognize, the man in the mirror
And I don’t wanna trade Your plan, for something familiar
I can’t waste a day, I can’t stay the same

I wanna be different
I wanna be changed
‘Til all of me is gone
And all that remains
Is a fire so bright
The whole world can see
That there’s something different
So come and be different
In me

And I don’t wanna spend my life, stuck in a pattern
And I don’t wanna gain this world but lose what matters
And so I’m giving up, everything because

I wanna be different
I wanna be changed
‘Til all of me is gone
And all that remains
Is a fire so bright
The whole world can see
That there’s something different
So come and be different, oh

Every encounter with God should be convicting and inspiring at the same time. We should recognize where we’re falling short and ask Jehovah M’Kaddesh to make us over.

Wow, that just hit play on B. Slade singing…

… You know my other side
I can no longer hide
Let you down so many times
Sin freshly crucifies

… Thought that I had a plan
I had it all figured out
But the more that you tried to be by my side
The more I pushed you out

… Lord make me over
Lord make me over
Lord make me over

… Time after the time I failed you
Pierced your side when they already nailed you
Jesus heal my open wounds
I just want to be more like you

… Father I let you down
What’s not like you just take it out
Reconcile me Jesus, I just want to please you
Wash me and make me whole

… Lord make me over
Lord make me over
Lord make me over

… Make me over again
Make me over again
Make me over again
Make me over again

Here’s the new insight the Holy Spirit gave me about Moses’ holy ground encounter with God, it represented the metamorphosis from his past to his…purpose.

I imagine some of you expected me to say his future, but God has shown me He brings us into His presence to show us His pre-ordained purpose.

This is affirmed in Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)…
[10] For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God makes us new so we can do the good things He pre-planned us to do.

The final thought that the Holy Spirit gave me about God’s hallowed ground, is it’s not about the place, it’s about His presence. He referred me to John 4:19-24 (NIV), which says…
[19] “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. [20] Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” [21] “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. [22] You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. [23] Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. [24] God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

God is a spirit, and that means wherever His Spirit is, is Holy Ground. That’s very important to understand because 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) admonishes…
[19] Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, [20] for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Since God’s Spirit lives in us, that means He considers us His Holy Ground!

Therefore, wherever you’re standing is Holy Ground because of God’s indwelling Spirit. Live and love accordingly.

Today’s song is…
Holy Ground

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)