When God saved us, He gave us everything we need to develop a strong relationship with Him. But realizing such a relationship with God is not happenstance. In fact, it’s possible to be a genuine Christian and still feel far from God. I have met a few people who claim they have truly accepted Christ as their Savior, but they say they still “feel” as if they are not saved.
Of course, we know salvation is not based upon feelings but upon what we believe. I am assuming that when others say they don’t feel saved, they just mean they don’t feel spiritually close to God. They don’t have the vibrant relationship with Him that others seem to have. They feel as though something’s missing. Perhaps some of you reading this post feel that way as well.
So, how do you get closer to God? James writes, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8, KJV).
Prayer Is Not Enough
According to the verse above, if we want to get closer to God, we must take the initiative. Some believers pray about getting closer to God, but that’s about all they do. After that, they just wait on God to answer their prayer. The problem, however, is that while they are waiting on God, He is waiting on them. We must make a move toward God first before He draws nearer to us.
God loves us. He wants to be first in our life. But He does not force Himself upon us. We must incline our heart toward Him. We can do that through prayer, Bible study, lifestyle changes, and involvement in Kingdom work. God takes notice of these things.
Isn’t that what the abovementioned verse is all about? In effect, it says that God sees when we draw near to Him. And He responds by drawing near to us.
When you think about it, what the verse is saying is no different from how our relationships with other people work. If we want to get closer to someone, we must make a move toward that end. The person of interest in turn will respond accordingly. That’s exactly how it works when we endeavor to get closer to God.
The Enemy’s Mission
The devil understands the implications of us having a strong relationship with God. The closer we are to God, the more He can use us for His glory.
The devil will do everything in his power to try to stop that from occurring. The Bible refers to him as our adversary or enemy. He goes about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). That means you must be more determined to get closer to God than the devil is in stopping you.
Never stop striving to be closer to God. No matter how long you have been a Christian, there is room for you to get closer to Him. He wants to be closer to you. But the ball is in your court. He is waiting on you to make your move.
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.