James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
For the born-again believer, drawing nigh unto God means letting go of the
carnal world. Very few believers are willing to come out of the world, and
so there are few Christians today who are close to God. When a believer
draws close to the Lord, the TV becomes a big problem, because it is evil to
the core these days. I don't watch TV anymore because it is just too
corrupt. Television has destroyed America. Most people would go nuts without
a TV to watch, because they are addicted to it. I hate TV.
Most born-again believers today do not walk close with God. If they did, they'd be afflicted, mourn and weep over the wickedness of our generation. They would care, but they don't. The average professed Christian today is only interested in worldly Christian Rock music, praise concerts and spreading God's love. In actuality, it is sinful compromise. They honor God with their mouth; but their heart is far from Him . . .
James 4:9-12, “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”
It is interesting that drawing nigh unto God requires refraining from gossiping and speaking evil of others. This can only come from a humble heart. People who misjudge only do so because they are self-righteous. This is sinful pride and prevents being close to God. If we acknowledge our own transgressions before Him, and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, then He will draw nigh unto us. Believers who willfully sin are pushing God away.
Many professed Christians are known as “fence-straddlers,” i.e., they want the best of both worlds. They want to please God while living in the pleasures of sin. It is impossible. To be close to God, one must forsake the cares, riches and pleasures of this sinful life.
I know believers who are quick to admit that they are sinners saved by grace; but they have every intention of continuing in sinful living. Although they may be saved, they cannot be close to God, nor will God reward nor bless them, until they repent. They may have money, good times and happiness in this world; but they will be miserable in eternity when they receive absolutely no rewards from God, and are punished for hurting others (1st Thessalonians 4:6; Romans 12:19). I'm talking about born-again believers (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11).
Those who choose not to draw nigh unto God will be fruitless Christians (John 15:1-7). Drawing nigh unto God is not just for ministers or full-time Christians workers, God forbid. Every born-again believer is expected to walk with God, abiding in Christ, and His Word abiding in us, that we should bear MUCH FRUIT (i.e., souls won to Jesus Christ).
Those who walk with God will notice the demonic influences in American society today—arrogance, pride, indifference, rebellion, feminism, divorce, worldly music, abortion, homosexuality, corruption, greed, covetousness, dirty-dancing, tyranny, spousal abuse, filthy and violent movies, SIN CITY, Mardi Gras, Broadway, drunkenness, adultery, fornication, pornography, lewdness, Evolution, immodest clothing, filthy-mindedness, illegal immigration, ignoring the poor, casino gambling, false accusers, suicide, bribery, scandal, hatred, stealing tax-payer money, gossiping, slandering, murder, conspiracy, false doctrines, false religion, treason, idolatry and every other sin imaginable. As one draws closer to the Lord, abiding in the Scriptures, sin becomes exceedingly sinful. Satan's works become more obvious.
It all boils down to—you either want to please God or you don't. You either want to live right or you don't. You either want God's hand of blessing and favor upon you, or you don't. Certainly, if you are a born-again believer, then you already have God's favor as far as your soul is concerned, because you have Christ's righteousness imputed to your account in Heaven (Romans 4:5-6; 5:9). However, even if you are a believer, God will not be pleased with you, nor will He bless you, if you willfully live in sin. God does become angry with His children at times (Psalm 6:1).
God is angry with Christ-rejecters every day (Psalm 7:11; John 3:36). However, God is only angry with His children when they disobey Him and sin. This truth is well illustrated by a parent/child relationship. A child, no matter how much they misbehave, can never stop being one's biological child. Likewise, one can never lose their place in God's family, as God's child. If saved, always saved. God never disowns anyone in His family (John 6:37). Certainly, there is no perfect believer. Psalm 103:14 tells us that God always remembers that we are flesh made from the dust of the earth. Yet, no one has God's permission to sin (Romans 3:31).
All one can do is place their past sins and transgressions into God's hands, and commit their life to God to sin no more with the Lord's help. The Holy Spirit of God helps the believer to overcome temptation. As my pastor used to say, “We can choose not to sin at any given time; but we won't always make the right choice because we are sinners by nature.” If we would draw nigh unto God, then it all begins with a desire to depart from sin. It's just like quitting smoking or losing weight, you can do it when you mean business.
A professed Christian man told me that he was having difficulty with lust. He admitted often cheating on his wife. I told him to stop going to Hooters. I told him to stop watching filthy TV and movies. I told him to avoid going to places where women were dressed immodestly. I sincerely doubted that he had any real desire to depart from sin, because he refused to take the small steps that I gave him to overcome the temptations. He argued that Hooters has the best chicken wings in the world. I don't care if that's the only restaurant left to eat, no Christian should patronize such an evil place of business. Hooters is demonic. The same people who laugh at such a claim are the same people who kill their babies by abortion and say they've done no wrong. If you sincerely want to live for God, and overcome sinful temptations, then eliminate the source. It's that simple. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
If you mean business and want to draw nigh unto God, then God expects you to do your part. We have the ability to PRAY THAT YE ENTER NOT INTO TEMPTATION (Luke 22:40). We have the ability to SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES (John 5:39). “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11). A man who claims a desire to depart from sin, but will not pray nor memorize any Scriptures to help him do so, is in denial. God knows each person's heart, and sees who truly wants to draw near unto Him. If you'll stay the course, and give your heart to God, then He has promised to draw near unto you. Jesus is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
