letting Him in.

There is a famous passage of Scripture that many people have heard in the context of an invitation to know Christ as Savior. ''Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door I will come in'' (Rev 3:20 NKJV). He does not force Himself upon us. He knocks, and waits for us to ask Him in. There is an initial step, the first step of this, which we call salvation. We hear Christ knocking and we open our hearts to Him as Savior. It is the first turning. But the principle of this ''knocking and waiting for permission to come in'' remains true well into our Christian life.

It might come as a surprise that Christ asks our permission to come in and heal, but He is kind, and the door is shut from the inside, and healing never comes against our will.
{boldness, Emilee's.}In order to experience his healing, we must also give him permission to come in to the places we have so long shut to anyone. Will you let me heal you?
He knocks through loneliness. He knocks through our sorrows. He knocks through events that feel too close to what happened to us when we were young- a betrayal, a rejection, a word spoken, a relationship lost. He knocks through many things, waiting for us to give Him permission to enter in.

Give Him permission. Give Him access to your broken heart. Ask Him to come to these places.
~ From John and Stasi Eldridge's book, Captivating.

I had never really thought of it that way. Sometimes, yes, we are to broken spiritually to get up and walk to the door, but just whisper, ''Come in.'' But maybe the reason we can't feel His presence in times such as this it's because we don't GET UP and answer that door! He is calling you by name...
His compassion is aroused, but a doctor cannot get ready to operate on a patient when the patient DOESN'T KNOW.  Healing doesn't come against our will. Hear His voice, answer the door.
Allow Him to romance you... in a way that only Christ can do. Restoring your soul; loving you; delighting in you; healing you. Give Him permission to minister to your heart.

Invite Jesus over for dinner tonight. Or dessert and coffee. Whatever. Just invite Him in... and the least of these... for He is knocking. Waiting for YOU. For you.

In Abba,

Emilee