How Close Do You Want to Be
As the saying goes, "You are what you eat," you are what you feed your soul.
I want to pose this post as an encouragement and a call to a reevaluation of our heart's condition because God knows I need it – every day.
In our broken and dying world today, we are surrounded with every opportunity to fail at meeting the standards of holiness to which God calls us to – not to say we should live "holier than thou" but to live separate from sin understanding that holiness can only be achieved because of Christ and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, not by sheer will.
While we are surrounded with every chance at failure, we are provided with every chance at grace. Grace is given not as a license to sin, but as empowerment to claim one's freedom from it. God did not give grace so we could abuse it, but so that we could become better because of it.
With all that being said, God gives us the grace to feed our soul with His enriching, life-giving Word and His unrivaled presence. But why is it that the Bread of Life that could satiate every hunger in the caverns of our soul is constantly rejected? I believe it's because of the condition of our heart's appetite - it's too easy for flesh cravings to overshadow and silence the deep cravings of our spirit and soul for Christ.
Recently, I listened to a powerfully convicting sermon given by John Bevere on being hungry for God. The basis of his preaching is this, the depth of our desire for God is our responsibility, not God's. We often pray for God to deepen our desire for Him when in reality, it is us who must draw near first (James 4:8).
The truth is, God is the one who moved close to us first. We're the ones who backed away. Check out the scandal of the Garden. Check out the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. Now that God has given us the freedom to choose, it is our will to draw close to the heart of God.
I don't believe it's any coincidence that the depiction of the first sin of humanity was eating the forbidden fruit in the Graden of Eden. At that moment, I can't help but think it to be an exposure of what laid beneath the heart of humanity when sin came into the picture. The more we feed our flesh, the easier it is to desire less of God. So, what are you hungry for?
I am guilty of this, but there are so many Christians out there who are jealous of the closeness of their fellow brothers' and sisters' relationship with Christ. Why are they hearing from God when I'm not? Why are they receiving revelation and anointing from God when I'm not?
One thing God convicted me of when I was drowning in this prideful thought was maybe the reason I couldn't hear Him was because I was listening to everything but Him. Instead of reading the Word and communing with Him, I chose to prioritize everything else more.
I'm not here to point fingers because believe me when I say I'm speaking this over myself. We have to consciously wake up each day with the intent of choosing God, not just because He's asked this of us but because it truly is our desire.
I want to break down the verse James 4:7-9.
7 So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you. 8 Move your heart closer and closer to God, and He will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting. 9 Feel the pain of your sin, be sorrowful and weep! Let your joking around be turned into mourning and your joy into deep humiliation.
Allow me for a moment to shed some light on the words I've emphasized in James 4:7-9.
We often talk emphatically about drawing close to God and He will draw close to us, but we sometimes forget that there are "prerequisites" to the closeness we so desire. Moving close to God doesn't just mean walking up to Him and considering that enough, because to put it bluntly, it's not. You can outwardly be close to God, but inwardly be miles away from Him. Does that make sense?
As I meditated on this Word, I noticed that the preluding verse to drawing close pointed out three things: 1) Surrender, 2) standing up to the devil, and 3) resisting the devil. The result is, "...he [the devil] will turn and run away from you."
Surrender
This initial act of surrender requires a relinquishment of self and an acknowledgment of God's Kingship. This means letting go of control and letting God take the responsibility of leading the way because let's face it, we are terrible at steering the course of our life. We are too prone to mistakes, but God the God of perfection never is.
Stand up to the devil
This second act requires boldness. Standing up to the devil is not easy when we leave room for him to instill fear, but God did not give us the spirit of fear or intimidation, but of power, love and self-control (2 Tim. 1:7). We are only susceptible to fear when we give more room for it, but if we fill those spaces with God, there is no room to be afraid.
Resist [the devil]
This part is one of the most challenging because just like surrender, this requires dying to self. That turns people away from God so quickly because it means saying goodbye to the seemingly "good" things of this world. But all those "good" things the world tries to offer is only temporary and it fades as quickly as vapor.
God has something so much better for us. Yes, the ultimate reward is eternity with Him and we only enter into that reward after death, but even in life now He rewards us with more than we realize. When you allow yourself to fall into sin, though it may feel good at the moment, guilt and consequence will always, always follow.
He [the devil] will turn and run away from you
This is what happens when you make your moves closer to God rather than the world. The enemy will flee from you, and isn't that something to celebrate? When we choose God, we choose to move away from darkness and into His glorious light.
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After all this, you will find yourself closer to God than you've ever been before. But let me remind you as I must remind myself every day, being closer to God doesn't mean that we have to surrender, stand guard, and resist only once, no. It's an act we must commit to every single day.
The following verse, in verse 9, continues to say that we must cleanse ourselves, keep our hearts pure, stop doubting, realize our sin, and humble ourselves before God. It is a commitment we have to make every day and, unfortunately, one that not everyone will walk (Matt. 7:13).
Saying you want to draw closer to God is different than actually doing it. Actions speak louder than words. So, I guess the question you should be asking yourself is how close do you want to be?