The Journey Back: Drawing Near to God's Presence
There's something profoundly beautiful about the promise found in James 4:8: "Come near to God and he will come near to you." These simple words contain a powerful invitation—one that speaks to the deepest longing of the human heart.
If you're honest with yourself, you've probably felt it. That quiet ache for something more. That sense that there should be greater intimacy with God than what you're currently experiencing. That longing isn't accidental. It's evidence that we were created for fellowship with the Divine.
The Divided Heart
Many of us find ourselves in a peculiar predicament. We love God, but we also love our own way. We want His presence, but we're not quite ready to surrender certain areas of our lives. We're what James calls "double-minded"—trying to serve two masters simultaneously.
This divided loyalty isn't just a minor spiritual hiccup. James uses strong language, calling it spiritual adultery. Just as infidelity breaks the heart of a spouse, our divided hearts grieve God. We're not merely breaking rules; we're breaking relationship with the One who loves us most.
The symptoms of this divided heart show up in predictable ways: conflict with others, selfish prayers that go unanswered, an underlying restlessness that no amount of worldly success can satisfy. We've drifted from God—not because He moved, but because we did.
The Pathway Home
The good news is that God doesn't leave us stranded in our wandering. Throughout Scripture, from the Old Testament prophets to the New Testament apostles, the message remains consistent: "Return to me, and I will return to you."
But how exactly do we return? The journey back to God's presence follows a clear pathway, marked by three essential responses.
Submit: Yielding the Throne
Every return to God begins with submission. The Greek word James uses is a military term meaning "to arrange under" or "to line up under a commander." It's a deliberate choice to acknowledge that God is God, and we are not.
Submission isn't about emotional displays or religious performance. It's about actually getting off the throne of our own lives and allowing God to take His rightful place as King. It's praying daily, "Not my will, but Yours be done," and meaning it.
Think about those first disciples. When Jesus called them, they didn't try to drag their fishing nets along. Those nets represented their livelihood, their security, their identity. But they dropped them immediately and followed. That's the picture of submission—releasing our grip on control to follow wherever He leads.
This submission touches every area: our plans, our relationships, our finances, our morals, our daily decisions. It means obeying God's Word even when it conflicts with our preferences. It's a daily choice, sometimes a moment-by-moment choice, to yield control.
Paired with submission is resistance. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." But notice the order—submission comes first. When self sits on the throne of our hearts, we're vulnerable to the enemy's influence. The devil, whose very name means "slanderer" or "accuser," works through lies, distortions, and accusations that erode our trust in God's goodness.
Resisting means rejecting what is evil and deceptive, standing against temptation in the Spirit's power. Sometimes that requires cutting off a habit, ending a toxic relationship, or confronting condemning lies with God's truth.
Repent: Washing Hands and Purifying Hearts
After calling for submission, James moves to repentance. "Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
For his original Jewish Christian audience, this imagery would have been powerful. They would have pictured the priests washing at the bronze basin before entering the holy place of the temple. The message is clear: before we can draw near to a holy God, we must deal with our sin.
Washing hands refers to our outward actions. Purifying hearts speaks to our inner motives. Both matter to God. He's not interested in cleaned-up exteriors masking corrupted interiors. He wants genuine transformation, inside and out.
True repentance involves honest self-examination. Like David in Psalm 139, we must pray, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." We invite the Holy Spirit to shine His light on any sinful actions or attitudes that need to be addressed.
When God reveals sin, we confess it specifically. And here's the beautiful promise of 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." God doesn't forgive us partly or halfway—He forgives completely, not because we're good, but because He is faithful through Jesus Christ.
But confession alone isn't enough. True repentance involves change. If we've been doing wrong, we must stop. As Isaiah 1:16 puts it, "Stop doing wrong." Grace forgives, but repentance redirects. We turn from sin and turn back to God.
James intensifies his call with sobering words: "Grieve, mourn, and wail." He's not advocating for eternal guilt trips, but for taking sin seriously. God desires a broken and contrite heart more than religious performance. When we approach Him with humble brokenness, He is ready to cleanse and restore.
Presence: The Promise of Nearness
Here's where it gets beautiful. When we surrender our will and turn from our sin, God doesn't pull away—He draws near.
Before Jesus, God's presence was centered in the Holy of Holies. People had to keep their distance. Only the high priest could draw near, and only once a year with sacrificial blood. God's holiness was unmistakable: stay back unless you are cleansed.
But when Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating us from God was torn. Through Jesus, we can now approach God's throne with confidence. The Holy Spirit, who once came and went upon individuals in the Old Testament, now fills every believer permanently from the moment of salvation.
God's holiness hasn't changed, but the access has. We can approach Him—not casually, but humbly, trusting His promise that when we humble ourselves before Him, He will lift us up.
Making It Practical
What does this look like in daily life?
Start with humility. Find a place to kneel and pray, humbling yourself before God, confessing your need for Him.
Confess and repent of known sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Write down what He brings to mind and confess it, receiving His forgiveness.
Intentionally draw near each day. Set aside time—even just 15-20 minutes to start—to read Scripture, pray, worship, give thanks, and listen in silence.
Guard against drift. The world will try to pull you away. Be vigilant. When you stumble, return immediately on the path of repentance. Keep short accounts with God.
The Invitation Stands
The question isn't whether God is willing to draw near. His invitation hasn't changed. The question is: How will you respond today?
God's presence isn't something we stumble into accidentally. It's approached with humble submission and genuine repentance. But for those who come, the promise stands: "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
He's not hiding from those who seek Him with all their hearts. He's waiting, ready to forgive, cleanse, and restore. The journey back may require surrender, confession, and change—but the destination is worth it.
Intimacy with the Almighty. Peace that surpasses understanding. Joy that comes only from His presence.
Today is the day. Will you draw near?
There's something profoundly beautiful about the promise found in James 4:8: "Come near to God and he will come near to you." These simple words contain a powerful invitation—one that speaks to the deepest longing of the human heart.
If you're honest with yourself, you've probably felt it. That quiet ache for something more. That sense that there should be greater intimacy with God than what you're currently experiencing. That longing isn't accidental. It's evidence that we were created for fellowship with the Divine.
The Divided Heart
Many of us find ourselves in a peculiar predicament. We love God, but we also love our own way. We want His presence, but we're not quite ready to surrender certain areas of our lives. We're what James calls "double-minded"—trying to serve two masters simultaneously.
This divided loyalty isn't just a minor spiritual hiccup. James uses strong language, calling it spiritual adultery. Just as infidelity breaks the heart of a spouse, our divided hearts grieve God. We're not merely breaking rules; we're breaking relationship with the One who loves us most.
The symptoms of this divided heart show up in predictable ways: conflict with others, selfish prayers that go unanswered, an underlying restlessness that no amount of worldly success can satisfy. We've drifted from God—not because He moved, but because we did.
The Pathway Home
The good news is that God doesn't leave us stranded in our wandering. Throughout Scripture, from the Old Testament prophets to the New Testament apostles, the message remains consistent: "Return to me, and I will return to you."
But how exactly do we return? The journey back to God's presence follows a clear pathway, marked by three essential responses.
Submit: Yielding the Throne
Every return to God begins with submission. The Greek word James uses is a military term meaning "to arrange under" or "to line up under a commander." It's a deliberate choice to acknowledge that God is God, and we are not.
Submission isn't about emotional displays or religious performance. It's about actually getting off the throne of our own lives and allowing God to take His rightful place as King. It's praying daily, "Not my will, but Yours be done," and meaning it.
Think about those first disciples. When Jesus called them, they didn't try to drag their fishing nets along. Those nets represented their livelihood, their security, their identity. But they dropped them immediately and followed. That's the picture of submission—releasing our grip on control to follow wherever He leads.
This submission touches every area: our plans, our relationships, our finances, our morals, our daily decisions. It means obeying God's Word even when it conflicts with our preferences. It's a daily choice, sometimes a moment-by-moment choice, to yield control.
Paired with submission is resistance. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." But notice the order—submission comes first. When self sits on the throne of our hearts, we're vulnerable to the enemy's influence. The devil, whose very name means "slanderer" or "accuser," works through lies, distortions, and accusations that erode our trust in God's goodness.
Resisting means rejecting what is evil and deceptive, standing against temptation in the Spirit's power. Sometimes that requires cutting off a habit, ending a toxic relationship, or confronting condemning lies with God's truth.
Repent: Washing Hands and Purifying Hearts
After calling for submission, James moves to repentance. "Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
For his original Jewish Christian audience, this imagery would have been powerful. They would have pictured the priests washing at the bronze basin before entering the holy place of the temple. The message is clear: before we can draw near to a holy God, we must deal with our sin.
Washing hands refers to our outward actions. Purifying hearts speaks to our inner motives. Both matter to God. He's not interested in cleaned-up exteriors masking corrupted interiors. He wants genuine transformation, inside and out.
True repentance involves honest self-examination. Like David in Psalm 139, we must pray, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." We invite the Holy Spirit to shine His light on any sinful actions or attitudes that need to be addressed.
When God reveals sin, we confess it specifically. And here's the beautiful promise of 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." God doesn't forgive us partly or halfway—He forgives completely, not because we're good, but because He is faithful through Jesus Christ.
But confession alone isn't enough. True repentance involves change. If we've been doing wrong, we must stop. As Isaiah 1:16 puts it, "Stop doing wrong." Grace forgives, but repentance redirects. We turn from sin and turn back to God.
James intensifies his call with sobering words: "Grieve, mourn, and wail." He's not advocating for eternal guilt trips, but for taking sin seriously. God desires a broken and contrite heart more than religious performance. When we approach Him with humble brokenness, He is ready to cleanse and restore.
Presence: The Promise of Nearness
Here's where it gets beautiful. When we surrender our will and turn from our sin, God doesn't pull away—He draws near.
Before Jesus, God's presence was centered in the Holy of Holies. People had to keep their distance. Only the high priest could draw near, and only once a year with sacrificial blood. God's holiness was unmistakable: stay back unless you are cleansed.
But when Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating us from God was torn. Through Jesus, we can now approach God's throne with confidence. The Holy Spirit, who once came and went upon individuals in the Old Testament, now fills every believer permanently from the moment of salvation.
God's holiness hasn't changed, but the access has. We can approach Him—not casually, but humbly, trusting His promise that when we humble ourselves before Him, He will lift us up.
Making It Practical
What does this look like in daily life?
Start with humility. Find a place to kneel and pray, humbling yourself before God, confessing your need for Him.
Confess and repent of known sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart. Write down what He brings to mind and confess it, receiving His forgiveness.
Intentionally draw near each day. Set aside time—even just 15-20 minutes to start—to read Scripture, pray, worship, give thanks, and listen in silence.
Guard against drift. The world will try to pull you away. Be vigilant. When you stumble, return immediately on the path of repentance. Keep short accounts with God.
The Invitation Stands
The question isn't whether God is willing to draw near. His invitation hasn't changed. The question is: How will you respond today?
God's presence isn't something we stumble into accidentally. It's approached with humble submission and genuine repentance. But for those who come, the promise stands: "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
He's not hiding from those who seek Him with all their hearts. He's waiting, ready to forgive, cleanse, and restore. The journey back may require surrender, confession, and change—but the destination is worth it.
Intimacy with the Almighty. Peace that surpasses understanding. Joy that comes only from His presence.
Today is the day. Will you draw near?
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