I’m ashamed to admit this as a pastor but recently I went four days without praying. Trust me, I could feel the coldness of the distance. It’s amazing how prayer is the most important aspect of our existence and yet we often wander from the source of our survival. There’s even something worse than not praying for four days…THE LIE THAT BUILDS UP.

Here’s the lie. The enemy will tell you that access to heaven is closed because of the distance you created between God and you. The enemy will try to reflect his nature upon God. What is his nature? Grudges, lies, and animosity. The goal is always to take us away from grace and bring us back to works. It’s always the plan.

I have good news. God is not like us. He’s not even like the best of us. He doesn’t close up heaven based on our decision to disconnect from Him. He doesn’t hold grudges and keep score. In fact, He tells us to “Come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need.” There’s no need to be quiet about coming back to His presence.

I decided to stop the lie and just entered His presence, thanking Him for His patience with this piece of clay. Here’s what happened…time in His presence was just as sweet as before. What a God who welcomes us back even when we become distant. Next time you feel unworthy to be in His presence, stop, and realize that’s the point. We are unworthy but Jesus doesn’t care. He simply says, “Welcome home.”