The desperate cries of my 2-year-old son startled me awake. I left our warm flannel sheets to investigate. Perhaps a dream was frightening Daniel. Leaning over his crib, I ran my fingers through his hair and patted his back. Soon he was asleep again.

Daniel simply needed my presence. With Mommy or Daddy close, everything was OK.

I remember another time when my presence soothed Daniel. He was only five weeks old. He had spent those five weeks—and would spend the next five—at Texas Children's Hospital. The neurosurgeon had ordered a CAT scan for his upcoming brain surgery. One must lie perfectly still in the CAT-scan machine for it to work properly. So they sedated him, as they do all infants. Rather than calming him, though, the medicine infuriated my then-5-pound son.

After Daniel kicked and screamed for 30 minutes, a nurse said, "Looks like we will have to reschedule." No, I thought, rescheduling the scan means rescheduling the surgery he desperately needs.

"Before we give up, can I try calming him?" I asked the nurse.

With doubt on her face, she consented.

I began singing to him—it was a song I sang to him when he and his twin brother were still in their mom's womb. It begins "I love you, Lord."

Soon Daniel totally relaxed. We laid him on the platform and the nurses taped his head down. I kept singing ". . . and I lift my voice."

A circular GE monster began making strange sounds around him. Daniel kept his eyes on me. The CAT scan was followed by a temporal bone scan. For over 10 minutes this white spherical machine surrounded his head at different angles, peering into his brain. He remained perfectly still as I continued, ". . . to worship You."

The machine stopped whirring and it was over. The nurses came to me. "Amazing," they said, shaking their heads. "We have never seen anything like that before."

So it is with us and God. Experiencing God's presence does wonders in our soul. When life's storms batter us, when nightmares are real, it is God's presence we crave. David understood this: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God" (Psalm 42:1,2; New International Version).

Though God's Spirit is ever with us, we are not always aware of His presence. Sometimes sin prevents us from experiencing intimacy with God. But confession restores that lost intimacy.

God delights in making His presence known as we scream—or whisper—for Him to come to our side.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17, New International Version). How can we be human "iron sharpeners"? Try an accountability group—same-sex Christians committed to helping each other live authentic Christian lives. The goal is greater holiness, deeper friendships, and learning to express and experience God's grace, not guilt. Here are 11 questions to ask each other:

1. Have you been in a situation that might appear sexually compromising?
2. Have any of your financial dealings lacked integrity?
3. Have you exposed yourself to any sexually explicit materials?
4. Have you been inappropriate, insensitive or excessive in your use of food or alcohol?
5. What has your time in Bible study and prayer been like?
6. Have you given priority to others?
7. How are your close relationships (spouse, children, parents, roommate)?
8. Have you quickly resolved differences (with co-workers or friends)?
9. Are you more aware of your sin today or of God's available grace to forgive your sin?
10. Is there anything you need or want to talk about?
11. Did you tell the truth in each question?

When I planned a white-water rafting trip through the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains with some co-workers, I anticipated adventure. I didn't count on life-threatening danger.

As my friends and I rushed over rocks and huge rapids, every minute was a thrill. With one last rapid to go, our raft began to turn sideways. In a split second, we lost control. The raft got caught between two rocks, then flipped over and tossed us out, pinning me underneath.

I struggled to push the raft up from over me. As the frigid water held me under, I panicked. I finally gave up fighting, and the rapids sucked me downstream.

I spun around and around with no air to breathe. I let my body go limp, giving up hope of ever resurfacing. At just that moment my head shot up out of the raging water and I gasped a deep breath of air. The river continued to pull me swiftly, but with my head up, I could breathe.

A man in a kayak paddled out to me, but when I grabbed on, the kayak rolled, and I was again taken by the force of the water. Farther down the river, another kayaker tried rescuing me. Dazed but relieved, I held onto his vessel as he pulled me to shore.

Just as I was trapped in the torrent of the raging river in Nepal, every one of us is trapped and enslaved by sin before we surrender our lives to Jesus. I desperately needed to be rescued that day because I was not strong enough to overcome the moving waters and was carried away in them. In the same way everyone needs to be rescued from the power of sin through the power of Christ's death on the cross, because no one is strong enough on their own to overcome it.

Fortunately, I was brought out of the water alive that day. And when Jesus called me by name and rescued me from the power of sin, He freed me from death's grasp and gave me eternal life. I couldn't do it on my own.

At the beginning of the 19th century, there lived a sculptor named Dannecker, one of the finest artists in the world. He specialized in carving images of Greek gods and goddesses. But Dannecker wanted to produce a true masterpiece, and he set his mind on sculpting a figure of Christ.

Dannecker's finished work was so beautiful that it brought gasps of admiration from everyone who saw it. When news of the masterpiece reached the emperor Napoleon, he invited the artist to come to Paris and carve a statue of Venus for the Louvre.

Dannecker politely replied, "Sir, the hands that carved the Christ can never again carve a heathen goddess."

Once we have touched those nail-scarred hands and looked into the eyes of the One who gave His life for us, we cannot live the old way any longer. When we have touched what is holy, we begin to look at all else in a completely different way. As committed believers, we resolve to live in a way that is clean, pure and holy.

We must do our work for God in the darkness of this world. But while we are in the world, we can never again be a part of it. There are activities that must be left behind, habits we must break, and relationships we can no longer pursue. We know that God has standards much higher than those of the world, and our lives must begin to conform to them as closely as possible.

The Lord says, "Be holy because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16, New International Version). Those words can seem intimidating to us, but He knows there is everything to gain and only sorrow to lose when we live moment by moment in the purity of holiness.

But how can we attain a holiness worthy of God when we know how prone we are to sin and failure? The Lord would never give us a command without giving us the provision for keeping it. The Holy Spirit is the answer.

We make the mistake of attempting to live in purity through our own weak abilities and self-effort. It takes a supernatural enabling to live in constant victory when we are surrounded by the lures and temptations of the world. That ability is available only through the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote, "Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?" (Galatians 3:3, New Living Translation). Our own weakness brought us to God in the first place, and it is a great mistake to continue living in that weakness.

After the American Civil War, all slavery was outlawed. Those who had lived as slaves were completely free. But tragically, there were many who were not told of their freedom, who continued to live and toil in bondage because they had no knowledge that a new life was possible. We, too, often fail to realize the truth of our emancipation. Christ has truly set us free.

Throughout my Christian life, I have faced temptations of many kinds and have claimed the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (NIV).

This promise is available to each of us in the war against sin. This is a daily battle, and through our victories over temptation, we will become stronger, wiser and more holy.

Your life will not immediately become beautiful and sinless at the moment Christ comes to indwell you. But you will want a new kind of life that reflects Him. You will be painfully aware of issues such as how you interact with people, what kinds of books and films you select, and how you spend your time. The Holy Spirit will show you everything in a new light. He will prod you to make changes, and He will give you the supernatural power to make those changes. You will face a work of daily renewal and renovation, but a satisfying one when you let the Holy Spirit do the reconstructing.

Take to heart the wonderful benediction Paul pronounces over you: "Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God, who calls you, is faithful; He will do this" (1 Thessalonians 5:23,34; NLT).

Adapted from His Intimate Presence, ©2003, by Bill Bright, New Life Publications, Campus Crusade for Christ. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Walking toward the mountainous twists of steel beams and magnets, my heart beats a little faster. With every step closer to a roller coaster, I get an incomparable rush.

As I wait in line, I hear the shrieks and squeals of exhilarated riders. Then it's my turn. I jump into my seat, pull down the chest guard and fasten the belt. The attendants double-check the locks. I know that I am safe, but my heart pounds even faster.

Slowly the chains crank me up the first hill, and I leave behind the secure ground. I know the track continues beyond the first hill, but I can't yet see it. My heart continues to race.

I reach the zenith, and suddenly I'm flying. The coaster twists, turns, flips me upside down. I never know when the ride will end, and during those incredible moments, I can't decide whether I want it to or not.

Sure, I could choose to meander through the park, watching others ride the rides, spending all my money on memorabilia. But then I would never feel my heart beat.

Throughout life, God gives me similar opportunities to walk in faith, trusting Him through uncertainties. I can choose to ride the ride of faith, like when I initiate a spiritual conversation with someone. Or I could just stay on the ground, where everything appears stable.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. With faith, I please Him, experience His hand of safety, and I can feel my heart beat. What a ride.