DRAWING NEAR TO HIM
I have a word from the Lord for many who read this message: There is a powerful promise in God's Word that you must lay hold of right now. I believe that if you act on this promise from Him, you will witness a great, new kind of victory in your life.
The promise is: "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). But now you must read the rest of the verse: "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded."
This is a great promise of victory over all sin. Yet you cannot produce this victory yourself. You can't cleanse your own hands or purify your own heart. No, James is saying, "If you want clean hands and a pure heart, if you want victory over guilt, temptation and every evil pursuer coming against you, you must draw near to God and believe He is near you."
It all hinges on the nearness of God. Simply draw near to Him, believe He is near you, and He will take care of all the enemies in your flesh.
You may ask, "But how do I draw near to God?" The answer is very simple, even childlike: Just go to the Lord and talk to Him — anytime, anywhere, all day long. In the shower, on the way to work, on the job, everywhere, talk to Him, drawing near in full assurance of faith.
Years ago I worked with the late Kathryn Kuhlman. That dear woman of God used to work seventeen hours a day. I often wondered, "When does she ever have time to shut herself in her secret closet and pray?"
Then I realized that she always seemed to be muttering to herself. She was praying! She prayed as she drove her car, as she rode in elevators. Everywhere she went, she always talked to the Lord.
One day she told me, "David, the Bible says to pray without ceasing. I talk to the Lord all day long. He's just as real to me as you are. I don't have to run somewhere to try to get in tune with Him, because we talk all the time. We're friends."
Beloved, God is always there for you. I believe in secret-closet praying, but your secret closet can be on the subway, in your car, anywhere you shut yourself in with Him.
Here God’s promise to you, if you will practice drawing near to Him all day long:
"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God” (Psalm 68:1-2).
The promise is: "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). But now you must read the rest of the verse: "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded."
This is a great promise of victory over all sin. Yet you cannot produce this victory yourself. You can't cleanse your own hands or purify your own heart. No, James is saying, "If you want clean hands and a pure heart, if you want victory over guilt, temptation and every evil pursuer coming against you, you must draw near to God and believe He is near you."
It all hinges on the nearness of God. Simply draw near to Him, believe He is near you, and He will take care of all the enemies in your flesh.
You may ask, "But how do I draw near to God?" The answer is very simple, even childlike: Just go to the Lord and talk to Him — anytime, anywhere, all day long. In the shower, on the way to work, on the job, everywhere, talk to Him, drawing near in full assurance of faith.
Years ago I worked with the late Kathryn Kuhlman. That dear woman of God used to work seventeen hours a day. I often wondered, "When does she ever have time to shut herself in her secret closet and pray?"
Then I realized that she always seemed to be muttering to herself. She was praying! She prayed as she drove her car, as she rode in elevators. Everywhere she went, she always talked to the Lord.
One day she told me, "David, the Bible says to pray without ceasing. I talk to the Lord all day long. He's just as real to me as you are. I don't have to run somewhere to try to get in tune with Him, because we talk all the time. We're friends."
Beloved, God is always there for you. I believe in secret-closet praying, but your secret closet can be on the subway, in your car, anywhere you shut yourself in with Him.
Here God’s promise to you, if you will practice drawing near to Him all day long:
"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God” (Psalm 68:1-2).