2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Psalms 27:8 (NKJV) When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

I noticed something in 2 Chro & thought what is the difference between seeking the Lord & prayer? I thought it was the same thing. I studied the word & found there were common elements of seeking God. The word reveals these elements of Prayer, worship, praise, obedience, fasting, getting your life in tune. Seeking to put the Lord first in every area of your life, bible study & meditation as ways of ’seeking’ God. But in seeing this I felt that there was more to where God was leading me. Why would God differentiate between prayer & seeking His face if they were the same thing?

Then I found that there are a number of levels or stages of seeking the Presence of God. Being in the ’secret place’ Psa 91:1 - the tabernacle of His Presence Psa 27:4 (We must understand the difference between the omnipresence of God & His manifest presence talked about in previous teachings)

The concern of my heart is that this becomes just another format that we seem to love to embrace instead of seeing it as a plan, set in place by the Lord to usher us into His Presence.

This revelation continues on the back of teachings previously taught. The first level is

THE OUTER COURT

The Outer Court is where the altar of sacrifice is. Everything in the temple revolves around the altar. Worship doesn’t happen without the altar.
The altar represents repentance & confession of sin. It represents the sacrifice of Jesus & the blood bought redemption of all who will enter. It’s where we get right with God. Sin is forgiven & washed away.

That’s why some can’t get into worship – because they haven’t got right with God. Maybe we need to implement a time of repentance, washing, confession for the congregation before we bring them into praise & worship. Many times we try & whip people up through praise to get into worship. Maybe thats why in some places sin isnt talked about, the blood isnt talked about - they just whip people up with the music - the culture of the church - the atmosphere of the church, anything to get it ‘happening’

The Outer Court is that place of surrender, where you come and get right with God and say, “God, I ask you to forgive me and cleanse me from the affairs of the day and the cares of the world.”

This place involves forgiveness, repentance. – often involves sacrifice.
you come to the bronze laver, the washing of the water, the cleansing of the Word. And you wash yourself of the impurities of the day, the impurities of your life.

No sin can enter the manifest presence of God.

Psalms 24:3 - 4 (KJV) Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

We are talking about un-confessed sin – not sin that has already been dealt with. We are not talking about dragging up the past but ‘present’ sins.

Hebrews 10:18 - 20 (TLB) Now, when sins have once been forever forgiven and forgotten, there is no need to offer more sacrifices to get rid of them. 19And so, dear brothers, now we may walk right into the very Holy of Holies, where God is, because of the blood of Jesus. 20This is the fresh, new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain—his human body—to let us into the holy presence of God.

We are talking about

1 John 1:7 - 10 (NCV) But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin. 8If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and we do not accept God’s teaching.

If we confess our sins—If, from a deep sense of our guilt, impurity, and helplessness, we humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our iniquity, his holiness, and our own utter helplessness, and implore mercy for his sake who has died for us; he is faithful, because to such he has promised mercy,

Psalms 32:5 (NCV) Then I confessed my sins to you and didn’t hide my guilt. I said, “I will confess my sins to the LORD,” and you forgave my guilt.

Proverbs 28:13 (NIV) He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

‘And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’—Not only to forgive the sin, but to purify the heart.

Observe here,

1. Sin exists in the soul after two modes or forms:

(1.) In guilt, which requires forgiveness or pardon.

(2.) In pollution, which requires cleansing.

2. Guilt, to be forgiven, must be confessed; and pollution, to be cleansed, must be also confessed & renounced.

Most of us get beyond the Outer Court, but some of us are stuck in the Outer Court of the Most High because it’s so hard for us to get that breakthrough. It’s so hard for us to move from that process of repentance for whatever it is, that condemnation that is over us, the business of our life, or the Heavens are so brass you can’t get a breakthrough. Every time you pray it is so dry and God seems so far away, you just give up. Some of us don’t even move out of that process.

And when you haven’t prayed for a while, and you feel kind of dry, and you feel guilty, you’re like “God, I’m sorry, I haven’t been here all week. Many people can move from here into the next level.

To be Continued……..