James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
OK, so it’s in the Bible and it’s not really a secret.
The problem is, we so seldom take the Bible’s advice, the priciples found in it often become like a secret.
James 4:7-8 gives great insight into 4 simple things we can do to grow closer to Christ…
1. Submit yourself to God.
That’s where it starts…turning our lives over to Him. Submitting everything we have and all of who we are go His control.
2. Resist the Devil.
We can’t underestimate the enemy’s frustration with someone that is completely submitted to following God. We must be on the lookout. We need to take proactive steps in resisting the devil. If a certain thing, place, or person puts you at risk for sin, avoid that thing, place, or person.
3. Come near to God.
I remember reading these verses as a 13 year old and thinking, “So if I try to come near to God, He’s gonna meet me in the middle?” Even at that age, I realized how of an amazing promise this is. Come near to Him, and He’ll come near to you. You have to spend time seeking Him!
4. Purify your hearts.
If you put junk in, junk is going to come out. You reap what you sow. Use any catch phrase, but they all mean the same. You must guard what enters your mind and heart. Resist the junk, take in the good things of Christ. You don’t have to be a monk, just dedicated to purifying your heart.
So, let’s learn from each other…
What’s the most critical element to your spiritual growth?
Leave a Reply