Daily Devotional: Making Room

By David A. Case

Life Saying: God comes to those who make room for Him.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20, NKJV).

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:16, NKJV)

God stands ready to bless us and to flow His life through our lives. His posture toward us is not reluctance. His posture is an invitation. Revelation 3:20 pictures Him standing at the door and knocking, not forcing His way in. Communion with God begins when I let Him be God.

The reason that invitation feels difficult is rarely complicated. Ego and selfishness resist surrender. Anything that threatens self-rule gets treated like an intruder. God’s presence challenges self because He calls me to die to self and to love others with His kind of love. Light exposes what darkness tries to protect. Conviction often shows up early in an encounter with God, not because God is harsh, but because truth reveals what is out of alignment.

A strange thing happens inside fallen humanity. What has been normal to me tends to feel right, even when it is unhealthy. The heart can cling to familiar patterns, even painful ones. Scripture describes Jesus rebuking and chastening those He loves, then calling them to zeal and repentance (Revelation 3:19). Repentance is not a religious word for shame. Repentance is a change of direction. It is a turning from selfish ways so that God’s ways can take root in me.

Making room for God requires more than asking Him to fix my circumstances. Many people approach God mainly for relief, answers, or rescue. Those are real needs, yet God will not feed my selfishness. He invites communion so that I can become like Him, not simply use Him. When I come to Him willing to obey, willing to change, and willing to step into the light, the door opens.

Romans 8:16 tells me where this communion is experienced. God’s Spirit bears witness with my spirit. Western life trains me to live almost entirely in the mind and emotions. That training dulls my awareness of the spirit, which is the place God has chosen to meet me. God is near, yet I can live as if He is far away because I am not paying attention at the spirit level.

When I sense distance from God, I have learned to pause and ask a simple question: What is blocking communion? Sometimes the answer is the sin I am excusing, the pride I am guarding, the bitterness I am feeding, or the passivity I am defending. Light and darkness cannot coexist. God’s light shines, and the ego-driven heart tends to withdraw. Making room means owning what is dark, bringing it into the light, and letting God change what I cannot change on my own.

Other times, the absence I feel is not abandonment. Spiritual warfare is real, and perseverance in prayer matters (Daniel 10:1–14). God may also allow me to carry another person’s burden in intercession. Discouragement loves to interpret warfare as rejection. Faith chooses to keep knocking, keep seeking, and keep waiting until breakthrough comes.

God comes to those who make room for Him. Room is made through humility, confession, repentance, and persevering pursuit. The presence of God is not scarce. The space in my heart often is.

Reflection Question

How have I been making room for God lately, and what might be filling my heart that is quietly pushing His presence to the margins?

Prayer

Father, I open the door to You today. Show me what is blocking communion with You. Shine Your light on my heart without letting me slip into shame or defensiveness. Give me courage to confess what is wrong, to turn from it, and to make room for Your presence. Teach me to pay attention at the spirit level, where Your Spirit speaks peace and truth. Strengthen me to persevere in prayer until Your victory breaks through. Amen.

Today’s Step of Obedience

Set aside ten quiet minutes today with no phone and no background noise. Ask, “Lord, what is blocking communion with You?” Write down what comes to mind, confess anything God brings to light, and choose one concrete act of repentance before the day ends.

This devotional was inspired by the book Heart Change Handbook by David A. Case. If you found it helpful, please consider it for your own self-study and suggest it to your church small group or recovery community as a basis for small group study.

Heart Change Handbook

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If this message has encouraged you to pursue deeper transformation, I invite you to continue the journey through The Heart Change Handbook. It provides a practical, biblical path for spiritual growth and is an excellent resource for church small groups and recovery communities. Consider getting your copy today and introducing it to your group as a guide toward meaningful heart change.

👉 Learn more about Small Group Resources from Heart Change U.