FOUR BENEFITS OF BEING CLOSE TO GOD

A direct correlation exists between people drawing near God and Him revealing His glory. That is because God always responds to hungry hearts.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8. NKJV

Drawing close to God means you commune with Him in your daily thoughts. You allow His Word to shape your lifestyles and glorify Him in your decision-making. So please don’t focus on daily affairs and their stress.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34. NKJV

Let’s look at four benefits of being close to God.

A PLACE OF SECURITY

We will feel secure in His presence when we draw close to God. We can run to Him and find rest and security. Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved but abides forever. Psalms 125:1.

As Christians, we are in Christ from a positional perspective, but we can experientially get too far away from God’s place of security. It happens when we allow distractions, the things of the world, offenses, and so forth to keep us far from the Father in our thoughts, attitudes, and worship. Sometimes, needless tragedies happen because believers aren’t drawing near God in their walk.

When we say drawing close to God, in other words, we should be conscious of Him because He is in us. That consciousness will prevent us from acting wrongly. When we live near God in a place of protection, He can manifest Himself to keep us from harm. Too often, the Holy Spirit tries to warn believers of something to come that they need to avoid. But they override the promptings and miss out on a manifestation of the Holy Spirit to bless and protect them.

We must live in close fellowship with the Lord daily, not just on Sunday or on some special days. It doesn’t mean we have to stop all of our daily activities. But, as I said earlier, drawing closer to God or being in fellowship with Him is in our consciousness. It means we’re conscious of His ever-abiding, in-dwelling presence in us. When we live according to His Words in obedience, meditating, and confessing what we believe from His Word. Then, we say we are in fellowship with Him.

A PLACE OF INTIMACY

The 2nd of the four benefits of being close to God is that we will experience a place of intimacy when we live close to God. The further away we live from the Lord, the less we will hear His voice. The Father wants intimate communion and fellowship with all His children. But it isn’t easy to have a confidential conversation with someone if they are not close to you.

For example, if I lived in a three-level building and wanted to talk with someone in the upper level without a phone. It will require screaming at the top of my voice, and it will be frustrating; challenging to have a fruitful conversation.

Similarly, suppose we live far from God in our thoughts, attitudes, and worship. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy the privilege of an authentic relationship with Him. When a believer goes any length without entering into a place of intimate communion with the Lord, their Christian experience becomes lackluster and weak. They will succumb to every temptation and give in to every adverse circumstance that comes their way.

It takes living experientially close to God to overcome temptation, So please, refuse to let anything keep you from drawing near to the Lord and experiencing His presence in your life.

WE BECOME SURE OF RECEIVING

Another experience we can enter into as we draw close to God is a place of receiving from Him. Some people doubt that God wants them to have the blessings He has promised in His Word. But those blessings were bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. So why wouldn’t He want us to have them?

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32.

It is hard to draw near to God if we wonder if He wants to bless us. Instead of doubting, we should rejoice and receive what He has provided. The way to overcome doubt concerning the promises of God is through faith in His finished work.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20.

It is simple to have faith in God’s promises when in close fellowship with Him. But a distant relationship with Him causes us to fall victim to doubt and unbelief. So likewise, a lack of reading, studying, or meditating on scriptures causes faith to fail us.

If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. Proverbs 24:10.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ. And through Him, the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God. The Lord is saying yes to every promise He has made. 

In other words, His promises have been fulfilled in Christ. But unless we add us, so be it to God’s “yes,” we will never experience the reality of these blessings in our lives.

Everyone qualifies to be a recipient of the promises of God by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. But we have to draw near to God to receive from Him. We experience protection and intimacy and enjoy all His blessings. It begins with Romans 10:9,10.  ^“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

WE DON’T LOSE OUR POSITION

Some believers are not sure about their position with God. They do not understand His plan of redemption and the work Jesus accomplished on their behalf at the cross – in His death, burial, and resurrection. As a result, they often feel unworthy of drawing near to God. This is our last point of the four benefits of being close to God.

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22.

Through the blood of Jesus Christ, our hearts have been cleansed from the guilt caused by Adam’s nature (Sin).

When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are washed, cleansed by His blood, and free to enjoy fellowship with our heavenly Father. Our position changes from being a part of the kingdom of darkness to having citizenship in the realm of light.

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and ^[a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, Colossians 1:13.

Positionally, we have been brought near to Him in a divine union. Now we must draw near to Him in our experience. We must enjoy fellowship with Him through His Word and prayer.

Salvation

Everything I have said will make sense and benefit you when you have accepted Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savor. Romans 10:9-10. CEB. Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation.

Every man, woman, boy, and girl ever born, and that’ll ever be born into this world, has already been “saved” by Jesus Christ. When He died, He died to save all humanity.

However, salvation is only a vital experience in the life of the one who has consciously affirmed the lordship of Jesus over their life. You receive salvation or are saved by believing in Jesus and taking the further step of affirming His lordship.

If you re-read Romans 10 verses 9 through 10, you will notice that it didn’t say, “If you shall cry and ask God to save you, you shall be saved.” The Bible’s way to receive salvation isn’t by your tears or good works. Salvation is a gift from God: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). The Bible tells us about a Roman centurion named Cornelius. He was a devout and generous man, yet he wasn’t saved (Acts 10:2).

One day, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “…Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:13-14). Salvation is a gift received by the affirmation of the right words. Once you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that He’s Lord over your life, instantly, you become a child of God; eternal life is imparted to your spirit. It’s an extraordinary miracle!

The world needs to know that it’s not challenging to receive salvation; it’s no use trying fruitlessly to atone for your sins or impress God with your “good works.” It makes no difference whether you’re the most excellent or meekest person around; you can’t trust your good deeds to save you. A definite act is required for salvation: the confession of the Lordship of Jesus, believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead.

PRAYER

Say with me. Lord Jesus. I confess my sin. I accept you into my life to be Lord and Savor. Thank you for Saving me. Now I know. I’m saved. I’m born again. I belong to God the Father. I have eternal life in me. In Jesus Name. Amen!

 Father, I thank you for the efficacy of your Word in my life. I’m one with you, the Father; therefore, I’m one with divinity. Health, wealth, prosperity, life, and success are my daily experiences. I live in the fullness of the blessings of the glorious Gospel of Christ. I’m an overcomer because greater is He that’s in me than he that’s in the world, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 STUDY THESE FOR YOURSELF

Romans 10:6-10 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down [from above]:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The Word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the Word of faith, which we preach; 9 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. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Hebrews 13:5-6 [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 1 Corinthians 5 & Psalms 117-118. Colossians 1:1-8 & Jeremiah 5