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Three Secrets to Draw Close To God
by Cheryl R. Carter

The cry of the human heart is to be close to God. The truth is He wants to be close to us just as we want to be close to Him. It is no secret that all Christians yearn to draw near to God. Yet what are those things that keep us from truly entering the presence of God. This month I will discuss three secrets. . I call them secrets because they are often overlooked by most Christians.

Secret One- God cannot be found in a method.

God the Supreme Being of the world wants us to relate to Him personally. He orchestras great movements in the church because He loves His people. Unfortunately, some of the great movements of God have been so humanized that God has actually been removed! This did not happen intentionally but over time people began to lean on the methods instead of God.

When we put God in a method box we do not have to change. Our pride is intensified as we are successful in a method and thus begin to teach others method success. Yet it is all a lie. Mark Twain once said history is a lie agreed upon. If we want to grow close to God we must keep our dependence on God instead of leaning on a lie.

Brad Crook, Editor of the Christian Life Times once gave this illustration (Thank you Brad, I have used it often in my counseling). If the UPS Carrier bought me a gift that my husband sent to me, it would be foolish for me to excitedly thank the UPS Carrier. I should thank my husband the sender, indeed sustainer of the gift. We need to rely on our relationship with God not the method of delivery.

It is important that we pray, read our bible, fellowship with believers. These methods of growing close to God should never replace God. We need to draw close to God and out of that relationship, grow in prayer, bible wisdom, and godly fellowship.

Secret Two-God wants us to have pure hearts.

God is not impressed with what we do. He is impressed with the condition of our hearts. Our actions may appear good but God weighs the motives. Throughout the bible particularly in the book of Isaiah, God commands His people to have pure hearts. Even Jesus continually urged people to get their hearts right. John the Baptist's whole ministry was to prepare people's hearts so they could know God.

If we want to be close to God we must lay our hearts on the altar. The altar is the place of exchange where God can cleanse us. Most times we cannot see our hearts true intent. It is camouflaged by pride, sin, religion, past hurts and misconceptions. Therefore, we must daily place our hearts on the altar of God's Word and willingly allow His spirit to purify our hearts. The purification process must be initiated by the Holy Spirit, lest we become too introspective and fall into condemnation as opposed to Holy Spirit conviction.

Pride is an ever present reality. I often have to check myself because pride is so insidious. It often masks itself wanting to be right. It is fortified in hollow religious duty. One Sunday, a sister asked me a question regarding her child's schooling. It was obvious-to me anyway- that she was really looking for validation of a wrong decision she had made. I matter-of-factly pointed out what I perceived to be "the truth"

(Christian translation of the "truth"- your opinion cloaked in self-righteous religious jargon, occasionally a few out of context bible verses to strengthen your pride)

When I walked away from her, I felt a bit uneasy. I tried to shake the feeling. After all, I rationalized I told her the truth. In this case what I said was legally, morally and ethically correct, plus I had said it in love (or so I thought). I was correct in my assessment of the problem I reasoned. Still the Holy Spirit gently said to me "Cheryl, do you want to be right, or do you want to help her"

I repented. My pride had been more concerned about me being right than being "my brothers keeper". As I prayed, the Spirit spoke to my heart. Immediately, I called her. I did not say God told me to tell you this. Instead, I merely went to her in love and repented for not listening more closely. As a result the situation completely turned around. Her child was helped and she drew close to God. In short, God was glorified!

Secret Three- God wants us to read the bible with eyes of the Spirit.

The bible is a most interesting book. The bible has been used by cults, racists, and extremists to promote their own erroneous worldview. This should not discourage Christians but rather it should encourage us to read with eyes of the Spirit. You do not need to be a Seminary graduate to read with eyes of the spirit. Certainly there is nothing wrong with education but I'm talking about being educated by the Holy Spirit.

This involves having a pure heart and not reading the bible to prove a point or to merely reach a goal. Setting a goal to read the bible through in a year is great but if your only reason for reading is to complete a goal it is not enough.

A pet peeve I have with Christians is the way they casually read the bible. Allow me a little soap box time here. The bible should be read in context. Cults and religious heresies can be traced back to people taking bible verses out of context. Even the devil himself when he tempted Jesus used scripture out of context.

Okay I'll get off my soap box now. Suffice to say you can get greater understanding of the bible if you read it in context. All Christians should practice reading a book of the bible in its entirety at one time to understand the author's intent, writing style and historical reference. Start in the gospels, then move onto shorter books of the bible like James, Ruth or Esther. Genesis should really be read straight through because it lays the foundation for so many things in the scripture.

This should not become a religious burden nor am I suggesting you abandon any present devotional reading. I am merely suggesting that this type of reading will enrich your understanding of scripture and assist you in understanding messages from the pulpit. Too many of us are lazy we prefer our pastors and teachers to do all the studying for us.

Reading the bible with eyes of the Spirit also involves asking God to lead in your bible study. Prayerfully read your bible with a writing pad by your side, record your insights, questions and anything you think the Lord may be urging you to do after reading the scripture. Approach bible reading prayerfully and you will get the most out of it

These are just three ways we can draw close to God. Next month, we will look at some practical ways to integrate worship into our daily activities. Happy Resurrection Sunday! May the Lord help you to draw closer to Him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheryl R. Carter keeps looking to the stars as God continues to fulfill all the promises in her life. At times, like Sarah, she is tempted to laugh at their fulfillment but she remains assured that as long as Jesus is on the throne no weapon formed against her will prosper. Visit www.Momtime for more articles, her speaking itinerary and organizing tips.