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Entering the Holiest
Hebrews 10:19
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,"
One of the greatest privileges that salvation gives the Christian is the opportunity to enter into the holiest place of all, the place of prayer. You must understand that before Jesus Christ died on the cross, only the high priest had the privilege to enter into the Holy of Holies. However, the verse above teaches that by the blood of Jesus Christ, we can enter into that sacred place of prayer called the Holy of Holies.
Because prayer is such a sacred place, we must enter into it according to the manner by which God commands. In the Old Testament, the High Priests would be killed if they entered the Holy of Holies in the wrong manner. Not only were the High Priests commanded to go into this sacred place in a certain manner, but they could only enter this place once a year. Yet, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to enter this sacred place as much as we desire. However, Hebrews 10 shows us God's guidelines of how we are to enter into this sacred time of prayer.
First, God wants you to understand that it is a privilege to enter into prayer with Him. Christian, before you start your time of prayer, I believe you should take a minute of time to remind yourself of this great privilege. Remember that those before the cross never had the opportunity of which you are about ready to partake. When you understand the privilege of prayer, then I believe you will enter in your time of prayer with a right attitude understanding Whose presence you are in.
Second, enter boldly into your time of prayer. This sounds strange, but you have a right to enter into prayer. Just like the High Priest had the right to go into the Holy of Holies, you have that right because you are a priest of God. When God says to enter boldly, He is teaching you to be straightforward with your requests. Don't beat around the bush in your prayers, but be direct with God and pour your heart out to Him. God likes it when His people are straightforward with Him.
Third, enter your time of prayer sincerely. Verse 22 says, "Let us draw near with a true heart..." Be sincere with God when you pray. Don't try to pull the wool over God's eyes about why you are asking Him for your requests. Be sincere with God about your requests, for He already knows why you are asking for those requests.
Fourth, enter your time of prayer confidently. Notice in verse 22 that God wants us to have "...full assurance of faith,..." This is talking about having confidence that God will answer your prayer. When you pray, don't let doubt creep into your heart that God won't answer your prayer. Instead, have confidence in the promises of God that He will answer your prayers. Doubt will keep your prayers from being answered. Therefore, you need to be confident that God can do what you are asking Him to do.
Last, enter into your time of prayer clean from sin. The last part of verse 22 says, "...having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Christian, get rid of your sin. Nothing will hinder your prayers more than sin. Confess your sins to God before you go into your time of prayer.
Prayer is a certainly one of the greatest privileges of salvation. To get the most out of your time of prayer, be sure to enter into this sacred time the way God tells you to. When you enter your time of prayer according to God's guidelines, then you will leave with the confidence that your prayers will be answered.