How Close are You Willing to Go?
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Come close to God is the command. He will come close to you is the promise. James identifies five ways you can grow spiritually and come closer to God. 1.) Submit to God, your Creator and owner of all things. Submission makes one vulnerable. It means accepting God’s word as the final authority in your life. It means yielding your will to His will. It means trusting Him, following Him and being thoroughly convinced that He has your best interest at heart. 2.) Resist the devil. Failing to resist him makes you his friend and an enemy of God. God, through Jesus Christ has restored your dominion and power over Satan. You have the ability to resist all his enticements and temptations. When you submit to God and resist Satan, he will flee from you. 3.) Wash your hands and purify your heart. Come clean with God. Confess your shortcomings and ask for forgiveness. David asked God to create in him a pure heart and to renew a right spirit within him. Praying as David prayed will help you to live a pure life, one that brings glory to the Father. 4.) Have a repentant heart. Asking for forgiveness without a remorseful heart leads to repeating the same actions. 5.) Humble yourself in the sight of the LORD, your Master. God resists the arrogantly proud, but He gives grace upon grace to the humble. Those who are humble before the LORD will be lifted up in honor. God is waiting on you to snuggle up with Him. He extends His love and His grace through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to make it possible for you to come closer to Him. How close are you willing to go to Him?
Scripture References: James 4:6-10; I John 1:9; I Peter 5:5b; Proverbs 16:18-19; Psalms 51:10
Prayer for today: Father, I desire to snuggle up with you every day. Thank you for making it possible for me to get closer to you through Jesus Christ, my LORD and Master. In JESUS name, AMEN.
Whatever you must do today, there is a grace for that. Accept the grace and make it a sweatless day.
Love
Dianne