Progressive Sanctification

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1.1.1     The progression of sanctification

The progression of sanctification seems to always follow one’s conversion. After one has accepted the gospel and believes in Jesus as their personal Saviour, the need to be sanctified is usually found. It may start with a sermon, by reading the Bible or a conversion with a fellow brother in Christ, but the conviction to mortify the flesh and live for God becomes clear. Some scriptures which may lead to this conviction are:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” (Romans 6:6 KJV)

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16 KJV)

When these scriptures penetrate the heart through your spirit, how can one continue to live in sin? When we think “I have been crucified” I am dead to sin, dead to this world, dead to my desires, and now the life which I now live is for Christ Who died for me; I need to mortify the deeds of the flesh for two reasons. First, I now know the consequences of sin. The wages of sin is death, and if I yield myself to my sinful desires, I become a slave or servant to sin which leads to bad consequences and death. Secondly, because Christ died for me. Christ gave Himself for all my past, present and future sins. When I know Hebrews 10:26-27 says, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (KJV). “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins” Christ died once for my sins.  I would not want to put Him to an open shame and sin willfully and accept my salvation in vain.

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:2 KJV)

“That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:2 KJV)

These verses should express the attitude of the Christian believer as he pursues God and Christ-likeness. How can we live in sin any longer? Sin being pointed out by the law of God and by the laws of the land in which consequences of grief and disappointment come. The laws also point to the paths of destruction we were in but now can avoid. Why would you want to go back to the road of destruction and the grief of negative consequences? We must come to the point and attitude that we are disgusted “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:6 KJV).

Recognizing these truths, we become aware of our current lifestyle and we also are ready to revenge all disobedience because we realize we have been deceived by the devil’s deceptions. We no longer want to live the rest of our lives to the lusts of mankind or the deception of the devil but to the will of God. We become dead to sin Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (KJV), with a healthy disgust for sin and what it has done to us. We begin to arise and say, I am tired of being deceived and going down the paths of destruction. I will take a stand and not be fooled again, for I am no longer under the dominion of Satan and sin. I am now a child of God under the dominion of God and righteousness. And ready to revenge all disobedience by following and confessing the truth. I am ready to live unto God and our Saviour, Jesus our Sanctifier.

Those who are living according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the natural desires are; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace, because the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8 discusses this same conflict within the believer.

True believers must learn to surrender their will to God and His word to continue to grow iand walk in holiness or progressive sanctification.

Tim Owens Sanctification Part 1 – We experienced the misery of death from sin emotionally, physically and spiritually and came to hate it. Why would we go back to it?

A.B. Simpson – The more definite and thorough this act of surrender, then the more complete and permanent will be the result.

39 Pithy and Profound

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A White Funeral

Oswald Chambers asked the question, “Have you had your white funeral?” He says a white funeral is “the burial of the old man.” This is the death of your lifestyle in which you were living for the world and for yourself. Do you remember such a day where you said, “Lord I surrender all.  I no longer want to live the rest of my days for my will or the desires of this world, but I want to live the rest of my life for Your will and want what You desire. Lord help me live for You.”  It may not happen all at once as you see the flesh rise its ugly selfish nature and say I don’t want to give that up. Whatever that is in which you find pleasure and does not glorify God. But the Holy Spirit and God’s still small voice pierces your heart,”my child it will only harm your very soul, please give that up too, for I have a more abundant life for you. Just let My word dwell in you richly and seek those things which I love and desire and your cup will run over”. O the joy of walking in the perfect will of God. Choose you this day to have a “White Funeral” and put to death the old you and ask God to clothe you with His desires and will so you can be more like Christ and bring glory to Him. Seek it, pray for it, and desire to live it.

In Christ,

Greg

1      Jesus Christ our Sanctifier

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1.1    The crisis and progression of sanctification

The crisis of sanctification comes after the believers accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour. He begins to learn through the church, Bible studies and other Christians, about sin and Biblical principles. This leads to the understanding of God’s truths and what the world says is true. Here is where the crisis starts to affect the believer and must begin to choose what to believe. The decision one makes will determine where one stands. The choice will either draw one closer to godly truths or continue to live in the world. When one chooses godly truth, they will begin to draw near to God and live more abundantly, but if they deny the truth they will end up further away from God and live a defeated worldly lifestyle.

God’s Word says you should not commit adultery, fornication, murder or lie, hate or be malicious. God’s word begins to penetrate the human soul via the regenerated spirit and thus a crisis of being loyal to the old nature or God and the new nature arises. It is not easy at first, even Adam had to choose between his wife and obedience to God before he bit into the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and that was just one commandment that they had to obey. Another struggle can be the fact that God’s word says, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15 KJV). Here the struggle is “I have not murdered anyone but now you are telling me if I hate my brother I am a murderer?” That is not the point, the point is “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10 KJV). It only takes one transgression to be guilty.

I believe God works in us to sanctify each area of our lives that needs to be sanctified and in each area there may be a crisis or struggle in which to choose. These struggles could be the maturing of the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). It could be a struggle with stirring up the gift in which you were bestowed; or even hearing God’s voice. (Was that me or God speaking in my head or heart).

Struggles can include reliance on self when one reads, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5 KJV). One may think I have made it this far without God’s help, what do you mean I can do nothing without Jesus? A deeper look into this may be sparked by such a question. A crisis is not started unless there is an offense to one’s current state or position. These crises will begin a change of thinking in which God can use to draw one closer to Himself. Each truth one holds on to and accepts begins to mold one’s life to be more like Jesus. It is a journey to desire what God desires and love what God loves.

Choose you this day whom you will serve and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. But being confident in this very thing that God is working in you until the return of Jesus Christ. Therefore, sanctify yourselves unto God knowing that He has given us life and that we might live more abundantly. Choose life.

In Christ,

Greg

38 Pithy and Profound 

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Grammatically, do you say Fruit or Fruits?

The word Fruit is a noun. The word is an exception where the noun is both countable and uncountable. So the plural of Fruit can be either Fruit OR Fruits.

When we think of Fruit as a group collectively and in a non-specific way, then we tend to use the word Fruit (without S).

  • You should eat five servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
  • Fruit is good for your health.
  • Would you like some fruit?
  • There isn’t much fresh fruit available in winter.

If you are emphasizing the different kinds of fruit, then you can use fruits.

  • My three favorite fruits are bananas, melons and strawberries.
  • The supermarket has a wide selection of exotic fruits such as Papaya and Mango.
  • The juice is made from a variety of fresh fruits.
  • I love oranges and other citrus fruits.

If you are not sure which to use, the safest thing is to just use Fruit all the time.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV)

So is the fruit of the Spirit fruits or fruit? Some may argue that the fruit of the Spirit is love because the Word says, fruit without the letter s at the end. They may go on to say that love incorporates joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, but there is only one fruit of the Spirit. On the other hand, others may say there are none fruits of the Spirit, because “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:” Either way the fruit of the Spirit has nine distinct characteristics all influenced by the Holy Spirit.

Father give us the fruit of the Holy Spirit that we may glorify Your name and be more like Christ, in Jesus Name I pray, men.

In Christ,

Greg

Reference fruit or fruits: http://mylanguages.org/greek_translation.php

Purpose of the Atonement

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The means and results of justification

The means of justification is given to the believer by God, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God Who justifies” (Romans 8:33). It is God who justifies not the work of mankind, nor the law of God, (Romans 3:28). Yet it is the law that convicts us of sin as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ our Saviour so that we might be justified by faith.

Justification is the position or standing of not being condemned, (Romans 8:33-34), and being declared righteous in God’s sight, (Romans 3:26). Since it is God who justifies it is by His grace alone that He imputes Christ our Saviour’s righteous to us.

God has made Christ unto us wisdom, and righteousness… For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s grace has made the provision for us to receive Christ’s righteousness through faith. It is this faith in Christ’s finish work that we can say the just shall live by faith. The finish work includes the death, burial and resurrection (Romans 4:25).

The means of justification then also comes from the finished works of Christ our Saviour. The finished work is in His death for it is by faith in His blood that we are declared righteous, (Romans 3:24-25), and for our justification that Christ was raised from the dead, (Romans 4:25).

The means then comes from the steps in the process of the salvation of mankind. First God draws them, “No man can come to me (Jesus) except the Father draw him.” (John 6:44). Faith then builds by the hearing of the word until the one who is drawn to God is pricked in the heart with the truth of his sinful state and repents and accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. God then forgives the penitent sinner and His grace is imputed to him. The sinner is converted, redeemed and justified by faith in Jesus Christ.

1.1.1    The results of Justification

The results of Justification can be seen in seven points:

Justification the believer is imputed Christ’s position as before God, flawless, (Col 1:20-22), it is like the clarity of a diamond.

Christ justifies us Isaiah 53:11, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities”. (KJV) “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:39 KJV).

 

Cleansing is the believer’s new standing before God we are now cleansed and made righteous in the sight of God. It is like the color of a translucent diamond. We are washed and cleansed from all unrighteous thus our condition before God is righteousness by the blood of Christ our Saviour.

 

Redemption The believer has been bought back from Satan’s dominion. He now is able to stand in the Kingdom of God as children of God in right standing and in their new position. They are now kings and priests.

Redemption is the restoration process. We have been restored back into the likeness of our Creator, a Genesis 1:26 man. We are now body, soul, and spirit the way God first created mankind. Without the redeemed spirit man cannot commune with God. The spirit is the communication link between God, (God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ), which now abides in our hearts. Christ paid the price for our redemption through His propitiation. Jesus died for my sins, was risen again the third day defeating death and sin, and now is walking in the newness of eternal life, (Romans 6:1-5), and now we too can walk in the power of the resurrection life, both now and in eternity. This is the new birth in which we are redeemed to walk in, born again and reconciled back to God to live in peace and the power of the newness of life given to us by Christ our Saviour.

 

Mediation: Here Jesus is the mediator between God and man. If we sin against God, we have an advocate between the penalty of sin and being forgiven by the finished works of Jesus Christ, (1 John 1:9, 2:1-2). He is our high priest in Hebrews chapter 9 and he has taken down the veil that separates us from the throne of God and now we can come boldly before His throne to obtain mercy in the time of our need.

 

Regeneration:  is the spiritual rebirth, renewal, to be restored, to be changed by grace from the carnal old nature unto a new godly spiritual nature. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Regeneration is the finished work of Christ our Saviour. Jesus said that it was expedient or profitable for us that He would go away. He was saying that after His death, burial and resurrection He would have to leave. He would have to go back to heaven, but He would not leave us as orphans. He was going to give us another Comforter, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our seal of promise until the day of Christ’s return. When Christ ascended He then sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter to abide in our hearts and fused to our spirit. The believer receives a new nature, if anyone is in Christ Jesus he is a new creature, (we have a new DNA), old things are passing away, behold all things are becoming new. We are born again our spirit is regenerated and now we are put back in right relationship with God our Father, (Gen 1:26 man).

 

Sonship:  We are now children of God and He has given all who believe the power to become the sons of God. We now have the ability to call upon the Father as His children, Abba, Father in our new justified standing.

 

Eternal Life: We know we have eternal life and can live a more abundant life in the power of the resurrected life, (1 John 5:13; John 10:10; Romans 6:4-6; Philippians 3:10).

 

These seven Results of imputed grace from God’s justification result in our new standing. We are justified by being cleansed by the blood of Christ from past sin and God imputes Jesus’ righteousness to us as if we lived a life without sin as Christ our Saviour did.

We have been redeemed from the kingdom and power of Satan and we have been translated in the Kingdom of God with an advocate, Jesus Christ our mediator and High Priest.

Our spirit has been regenerated and now we are new creatures in Christ Jesus we are now sons of God with an eternal inheritance because we are justified by the grace of God by our faith in Jesus Christ and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

In Christ,

Greg

37 Pithy and Profound

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New Year’s Resolutions

It always comes about, the question that is, “What is your New Year’s resolution?” Many have good intentions or even desire to do and keep a New Year’s resolution but are they attainable? I learned many years ago it was not worth it to me to make a New Year’s resolution unless I was going to be able to keep it.

Many want to exercise or to get back into shape. The first question is, “Do I have the time or will I make the time to do it?” It is a commitment. Many gyms see this surge at the beginning of every New Year and within a couple of months or even weeks it thins out and goes back to the normal attendance.

I have made two resolutions. One in 1989/1990 and the other in 1998/1999. The first was to quit smoking. I only faltered once since as I smoked a whole cigarette almost eight years later. The other one was to go to church every Sunday for that next year without missing a Sunday. I almost did it. I missed two Sundays. One was due to a hurricane and the other was to pay my respects to my Grandmother after she passed on. I am still going to church and rarely miss a Sunday.

So don’t be dismayed, think about a new resolution and plan it out to make sure the it is attainable. Maybe it’s time for a revival. It starts with you. Revival is spending more time with God to revive your spiritual life with God. In doing so you can help others. When someone sees your new spiritual glow they too may want to revive their spiritual life and so on. This is what revival is all about. Getting closer to God attracts others to get closer to God. Revival is a renewing of one’s spirit. Now that is something worth making a resolution about.

In Christ,

Greg

Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas.

Christmas is the time of giving thanks for the hope, love and peace that God has giving to us. First hope in that He sent His son to save the world and now we are “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13 KJV), the Second Advent or second coming of Christ. Second love, the love of God Who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). God’s love is eternal and an everlasting love where He laid down His life for ours so that we may have life eternal with Him. God created us for fellowship and it is not until we are reconciled back to Him, through Jesus’ finished work, that His loving relationship can be experienced by us. He give His all that we might become His all for all eternity. Now we can rejoice, in that we can be reconciled back into right fellowship with God and have eternal life in a glorious heaven. Finally there is peace. The peace that surpasses all understanding, (Philippians 4:7), that we receive when we believe the gospel message.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:9-10, 13 KJV)

The good news that we can be reconciled to God and the enmity between God and man because of sin can be laid to rest. Peace from our past, present and future with God our Saviour. (2 Corinthians 1:10).

This Advent season keep looking up for the blessed hope and His glorious appearing and in remembrance that we have been giving hope, love, joy and peace and so shall we have it when He comes again, Maranatha.

In Christ,

Greg

36 Pithy and Profound

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Channel of God

Are you a channel for God? Our whole conversation viz., whatever we do, say, and think, is our witness to others. When we are in right relationship with God, God can use the smallest channel to touch someone’s life. If you look at it as a ½” pipe or a 10” pipe it is only the water that passes through the pipe that can be used for God’s will. Remember that a mustard seed of faith opened the door of salvation for many to be saved. God is bringing you to places and among people to be a channel that makes a differences. The only thing that can stop the flow of the Holy Spirit is putting self in the channel. Self-stops the flow and clogs the pipe. Keep your channel clear by staying in right relationship with God, and be prepared to witness for God by being an open channel for Him, then the Holy Spirit will pour out God’s life giving water and intercede for them.

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:2-5 KJV)

When we are a channel for God in all ways, places, times, and to all people by all means ever moment as long as we live, then no matter what we are going through our experience increase our faith, hope and love that opens the way for the Holy Spirit to shed God’s love abroad from our hearts to others.

In Christ,

Greg

Purpose of the Atonement

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1.1    The plan and purpose of the atonement

The plan of atonement is sprinkled throughout the Bible. Most doctrines are like a thread in which you can pull from Genesis to Revelations. The plan of the atonement is initiated by God, exemplified throughout the Bible and Praised in Revelations, (Revelations 5:12). It can be seen from the fall of mankind when God clothed Adam and Eve after they had sinned with innocent animals. This was a sacrifice for their sin and a covering for their nakedness. This is where the atonement or covering is first mentioned. The shedding of blood is confirmed in the New Testament, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22 KJV). This sacrifice made an atonement for their sin but was not the sacrifice that would appease God’s wrath for all sin. There was a long term plan God was setting up.

God revealed His Plan in the first Messianic Prophecy in Genesis 3:15 when He told Eve and Satan, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15 KJV). God had a plan not only to atone for but also to reconcile His creation back to Himself. There is a typology in the Passover (Exodus 12:1-14). The lamb, which had to be perfect and without blemish, was sacrificed and the blood was placed over the door and on the side posts of the door. The blood was a token between God and the Hebrews, and when God saw the blood He would pass over their houses. The sacrifice and the blood were an atonement and a covering for the wages of sin which is death. Anyone without the atoning blood of an innocent lamb would experience death. God’s plan would be exemplified in the Old Testament e.g. Abraham and Isaac, (Genesis 22). His plan was prophesized as a new covenant by a sacrifice (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 53). God was also going to give them a new heart in which he was going to write His laws upon their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26-28; Psalms 119:11). Ephesians

Finally, God’s plan was introduced in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV). This child would be the Lamb of God and would be blameless and without spot even born of a virgin as not to have the sin nature passed down from the seed of fallen man, (Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:26-31). God’s plan is introduced in the New Testament (Luke 1:26-31, Matthew 1:18-25). God’s plan was revealed in John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God came down in the likeness of mankind to life among us so He could be the propitiation for all mankind’s sins past, present and future. Only an eternal, holy sacrifice (like the Passover lamb without spot or blemish) could have provided the atoning reconciliation and redemption of mankind that would appease God’s wrath for the wages of sin. Jesus came to live a holy life to fulfill God’s plan of atonement and reconcile all those who believe back to Himself, (Philippians 2:6-11; Hebrews 2:14-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

1.1.1    The Purpose of the atonement

The purpose of the atonement is multifaceted. First it exhibits God’s attribute of love, grace, mercy, and righteousness. It ultimately glorifies the creator Who deserved all honor, praise and glory. The purpose of the atonement is to appease: God’s wrath against sin, the penalty against sin, to break the bondage of sin, and to reconcile His creation so they may live in right relationship with Him for ever more.

There was no other way to appease God’s wrath against sin than to have a perfect sacrifice for it. He gave Jesus Christ His only begotten Son to be the propitiation for our sins, (1 John 4:10). The best definition I have found for propitiation is, the only sacrifice that would appease God’s wrath for all mankind’s sin past, present, and future. Jesus Christ came to appease God’s wrath for all mankind for eternity past, present, and future. He is the only one that can appease God’s wrath from eternity past to eternity future because He is an eternal being, He is God.

The atonement is for the penalty of sin. The wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23a). There has to be a death for the penalty of sin demands it. There is only one perfect sacrifice for the penalty of all mankind’s sin Jesus Christ our Saviour. Hebrews 9:26 says that he appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself and in Chapter 10 verse 12 God’s word says He had offered one sacrifice for ever, this is an eternal sacrifice that satisfies the penalty of sin.

The atonement breaks the bondage of sin. When Adam and Eve first sinned, they were under the bondage of sin for whosoever you yield yourself to obey his servant you are to whom you obey, (Romans 6:16). Man had yielded to Satan and placed themselves under the dominion of Satan’s kingdom. Mankind can only be brought back into the Kingdom of God buy a redeemer. Jesus Christ gave Himself as a ransom for many and has bought mankind back with a price, (Mark 10:45; 1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23). Only by the blood of Christ, our Holy sacrifice, can we be bought back forever for He has obtained for us eternal redemption, (Hebrews 9:12). Jesus tells us that we will still have tribulations is this world, but to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Now that is good news. We no longer are bond by our sinful nature we have been enlightened to live the rest of our time after the will of God and not to the lusts of the flesh, (1 Peter 4:2).

The atonement also reconciles us back to God so we can live in peace with Him and can live a lifestyle well pleasing to God. Christ our Saviour has reconciled us back to God viz., He has made peace with God the Father on our behalf. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: … For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 KJV). There is now no separation between believers and God, Christ has bridged the Gap and we can come before His throne of grace boldly.

In Christ,

Greg

35 Pithy and Profound

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Drawing Near to God

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:8 KJV)

Drawing near to God, just what does that look like? In the natural it would be getting physically close together. But in the spiritual, what does it look like? Some of us use prayer to get closer to God, but most of the time prayer is a monologue. Just me asking of God and not waiting for an answer. Others may use God’s Word, singing, worship or church services to draw closer to God or maybe even a combination of two or more of these. One thing is for sure, it must center on God’s will. He has revealed His will through His Word. We can pray, sing, worship, fellowship and study His Word to draw near to Him. Then when we receive an answer, whether it is from prayer His Word, or a word of knowledge from a fellow believer, we have the first step of drawing near to God. The second step is acting on it.

The prodigal son for instance. He came to himself while in the pig pen. If he only said it and never acted on it, he would have stayed in the pig pen and have been eating slop. But he acted on the revelation and started toward home. He was effectually drawing near to his father. When we act on a spiritual truth, we are effectually drawing near to God because it solidifies the truth within us. For example, Proverbs 15:1 says, “A soft answer turneth away wrath:” (KJV). I remember reading this scripture and soon afterwards I called someone who started talking with me very emotionally, and even became angry with me, as I was listening. I thought of Proverbs 15:1 and I asked with a soft voice, “What have I done?” The person immediately changed their tone of voice and attitude. After the phone call, I realized God’s Word really does work. Now it may not always work that quickly, but just keep applying God’s word and the truth must prevail.

Never let a truth of God that is revealed to you pass you by without acting on it. You may be eating slop or live in a world of chronic dispute. When we act on God’s Word we become more alive. God’s truth fills us when we draw close to God. Our faith, hope and love grow as we become more like Christ and practice His principles in all our affairs.

In Christ,

Greg