Draw Near to God

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Did you know that there is an EXPERIENCING GOD devotional? I have been using this powerful tool for many years and it has been a big part of my journey. You can hear Dr. Richard Blackaby tonight at America’s Keswick. Come meet him personally, or watch live at www.americaskeswick.org.

Here is the devotional for  July 28^th that I so needed to hear:

There may be times when God seems far away. You may feel as if your prayers go unheard. James said there is a simple reason for this and a solution. If you are far from God, it is because your sin has separated you from Him.

God is unchanging. His character stays absolutely holy. His faithfulness remains constant; it is we who change. We allow sin into our lives. We choose our own direction. We spend less and less time with Him in Bible study and prayer. Then one day we realize that we have gradually grown distant from God. The solution, according to James, is straightforward. We are to draw near to God.

As we realize our need to be closer to the Father and we begin to return to Him, He meets us even as the father hurried to greet his prodigal son (Luke 15:20). Drawing near to God requires you to take two actions.

First, you must cleanse your hands (Isa. 1:15). You must cleanse your way of living. If you have been actively engaged in sin, you must renounce it. If you have done anything to offend or hurt someone, you must make it right.

Second, you are to purify your heart (Ps. 51:10). You must make certain your attitudes, thoughts, and motives are right in God’s eyes and are in harmony with God’s Word. Jesus warned that you cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). It is impossible to love anything else as much as you love God and still please Him. If God seems distant, do what is necessary to cleanse your hands, purify your heart, and draw near to Him.

Blackaby, Richard (2006-12-01). Experiencing God Day By Day (Kindle Locations 3649-3657). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Isn’t that powerful? Maybe your heart is distant – do what Dr. Blackaby suggests: cleanse your hands, purify your heart, and draw near to Him. – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 57-59; Proverbs 1; Romans 4

Motivations: I’ve noticed something. Nowhere in the bible does God ever say. “Oh no!

I wasn’t expecting them to do that! Now what am I going to do!” Nothing catches God by surprise and no circumstance is beyond his power to redeem. Katherine Walden

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 2:16; Level 2: Philippians 2:19-24

Powered Up:  In prayer, while we seek in appearance to bend God’s will to ours, we are in reality bringing our will to his. J. M. Neale