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Psalm 16:11 (KJV) - Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

In reading Psalm 16, David writes a michtam (or poem). This poem is written from Jesus unto His Father. God is speaking of His Son in Psalm 16:8. Psalm 16:11 explains how in the Lord’s presence is the fullness of joy. As Jesus sits upon the right hand of the Father making intercession for us (Romans 8:34), He is eternally in the Lord’s presence. For those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life, they too will experience an eternity with the Lord (Revelation 21:3). In that time, God will wipe away their tears, and there will be no death, sorrow, crying, or any pain (Revelation 21:4). That time will be joyous in deed.

But what about us on the earth? Is there a way we can experience the same joy?

An eternal time in His presence will come (Revelation 20:4), but we can experience His joy on earth as well. Let’s review several ways this is possible:

1. Rid yourself of the stains of sin and worldliness (Psalm 5:4-5, James 1:27). James states that a friend of the world is an enemy of God (James 4:4). Being a friend of the world is welcoming its nature and existence into your life, allowing it to move freely as you emulate its standards and rule. As John writes, it’s the lust of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life that encompass the world’s standard (1 John 2:15-17). With the stains of sin, you will be unable to experience the Lord’s joy.

You must draw near to God (via repentance), resist the devil, cleanse your hands, be afflicted (in soul), mourn, weep, and humble yourself (James 4:7-10; 1 John 1:9). These are intentional acts on your part.

Even the smallest stain from the world on your life is too big.

2. Quiet your soul from the delights of the world (media, attitudes, methods) and delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4). In order to remain unstained from the world, the delights of the world cannot be within you. These ‘delights’ only keep you (and your mind, heart, and soul) chained to the world.

Many of us may not consider that our friendships and sources of entertainment could be the crux of our worldly lifestyles. Temptation, sin, and worldliness are often not blatant acts, but subtle movements that can ease into our lives. These areas must be checked and guarded against at all times.

3. Hide the Word in your heart (Psalm 1:1-3, 119:9-16). To grow in godliness, we must know and understand the Word of God. We were born in the filth of the sin nature, but we can cleanse our lives with the Word. We must make the purposeful intention to read, study, and meditate on the Word of God day and night.

Our meditations must be where we hide the Word in our hearts – that we would not sin against the Lord (Psalm 119:11). Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). If our hearts are filled with the Word, we will respond with the Word. If our hearts are filled with the world, we will respond as the world.

4. Fill your atmosphere with prayer (Psalm 63) and praise (Psalm 150) of God alone. Your desire must be to please Him…and Him alone. It is the will of the Lord that we give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18). A thankful heart is one that is merry toward the Lord. A thankful heart seeks to accomplish His purposes within the earth. However, when our hearts are filled with ungratefulness, we are placed on a crash course for destruction and sin.

Ungrateful behavior will ignore prayer and praise as its remedies and will seek to rectify its situations in its own manner, which will ignore God’s Word and will.

Cast EVERY care unto the Lord. Get them out of your heart, mind, and soul. They will distract you from giving Him your all.

5. Consecrate your life with obedience to His Word (Matthew 7:21-23). To consecrate something is to set it apart for a particular purpose; apart from the things of the world in order to be entirely for the Lord.

The Word of God is the Christian’s rule for living on earth. It provides us insight into the nature of our Father and His desire for us to accomplish as His children and ambassadors upon the earth. As we hide the Word of God in our hearts, we must become doers of it as well:

James 1:22-25 (KJV) - But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

6. Don’t allow ANYTHING to break your fellowship with the Lord (Matthew 13:44-46).

Matthew 13:44-46 (KJV) - Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

In each of these parables, the kingdom of heaven was so valuable that they sold all they had, giving up any livelihood, status, or honor among the world. What they found was of greater worth.

The treasure of the kingdom of heaven must become greater than any other ‘treasure’ in our lives. We cannot allow anything to separate us from the gift of eternal life.

7. Remember the process of recovery (1 John 1:9; Psalm 119:9; Proverbs 24:16). There may come a time when you become separated from the joy of God’s presence. If this happens, you must quickly return to those things you previously accomplished. This is not a time for you to fall into depression, desperation, or guilt, but to cast yourself before the Master to receive His forgiveness and restoration from sin. You can rise again and continue in the Word of God. You have tasted the goodness of the Lord, and you can have it once more. Live to give yourself entirely to the Lord.

FREE BOOK: The Beauty of His Presence This entry has been included in our book, The Beauty of His Presence. To view this book in its entirety, please click the image to the left or the link above.