NEW! Draw Near to God

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Are you seeking to draw near to God?

Do you feel you need to be closer to God? Does He often seem far away? What does the Bible say about drawing near to God? When we seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul, He will be found! James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Desiring a deep and intimate relationship with God is a natural longing for Christians. But it is much deeper than an emotion or feeling. It is something down in the depths of our souls and displayed through our actions. And it begins as we seek Him and draw near to Him. We must take the first step. God will never force His way into our lives.

To draw near to God means that we must focus less on our own self and more on God. It means letting go of constantly attempting to fill up all the empty places of our lives with the desires of the flesh. It means opposing the world’s cultures of pride and selfishness, and resisting the temptations of the devil. But accomplishing these things is not easy. In fact, it can only be done by through a close relationship with God. If we are to draw near to God, we must submit to His will and obey His commandments. But this means we must draw near to Him. When we do, He will draw near to us. Only then will we will we find friendship and relationship with the creator of the universe, our Heavenly Father. He longs for us to need Him as the deer longs for water.

To draw near to God, you must first be made righteous

Sin keeps us separated from God. A simple way to define sin is “the act of going against God and His ways” (Romans 3:23). It makes sense that, when we are going against something, we are separate from it. By definition, then, sin separates us from God.  Sin creates a wall between us and our Creator because we cannot have two masters. Jesus said we “will hate the one and love the other” (Matthew 6:24). Not only are we separate from God when we are ruled by sin; we are His enemies (Colossians 1:21). This separation from God created by sin dooms us to an eternity away from Him—except for one thing: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

We draw near to God through righteousness that comes only by the blood of Christ and accepting the gift of salvation. Only then can we be made right with God and have the hope of intimacy with God. Only those who have been saved by grace through faith can have the hope of closeness with God because Christ is the hope through which we are able to draw near to God. Hebrews 7:19 says, “(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.” Jesus is that hope. So if you have not yet accepted Christ as your Savior, this is your first step to draw near to God.

Jesus is our model

If we hope to attain true intimacy with God, Jesus must be our model. We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:10), and we prove our love for Him by obeying Him. Jesus told His followers, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). When we obey Him and keep His commandments, He promises that we will remain in His love, just as He remains in the love of the Father by doing the Father’s will (John 15:10). There can only be intimacy with God when we are in good fellowship with Him through obedience. Then we can know the joy and peace that comes from trusting Him and yielding to His will, just as Jesus did.

Start your journey of drawing near to God with this downloadable file that includes 31 verses to meditate on, hide in your heart, and memorize as you seek Him.