Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you - Part 2

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Continuing Pastor Kyle’s message, he explains to us that the God-rejecting world system will always give us an external reason to believe that what we have here is not good enough. Don’t believed the lies. The reason that our lives are not as we would want them to be is because of the ungodly passions that we are pursuing and trying to fulfill. James tells us; “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” The Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us” Exodus 20:3,5-6 “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. When we go find other lovers and lords (anything or anyone that we love more than Creator God), our heavenly Father is jealous because it is spiritual adultery. Our passions cause us to seek after other gods. We need to align our desires with God’s desires. Start with remembering that God yearns jealously for us, so yearn for God and withdraw from and pull away from distractions.   

Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

When was the last time we took a moment to be with our heavenly Father, who always has time for us. It’s not about guilt, but drawing near to God, who always shows up and is always there for us. When we are not “plugged into” God like we should be, we do not recharge our soul with the Lord. We are careless with our faith in and relationship with the Lord. We have access, so pull away from unnecessary distractions and identify your ungodly fears, then draw near to God. A real Christian community is one in which we commit to be real, vulnerable and humble that abide in Christ. To abide mean to “remain in” and “live there” by the power of Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit. Remain in Christ and respond knowing that God’s grace abounds and is greater than our sins.

Final Quiz:

1.      Do you feel far from God?

2.      Are your desires not God’s desires?

3.      Why are you so afraid of taking a single step in God's direction, while God brings eternity in your direction?

4.      Is there an unhealthy substance that you need to get out of your life?

5.      Is there an ungodly relationship that you need to get out of your life?

6.      Are you speaking kindly to others?

7.      Is there a spirit of laziness in your life?

8.      Are you confessing your sins to anyone?

9.      Have you spent proper time reading your Bible and in prayer?

10. Have you just lied?

Philippians 2:1-9 “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”

In Christ, Brian