WHY DOES GOD SEEM SO FAR AWAY AT TIMES?

SCRIPTURE:
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, 
you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 
(James 4:8)

MEDITATION:
Too many believers have walked away from God. 
He has not moved—they have. 
The moment we stop drawing near to our Heavenly Father, 
we put a limit on our knowledge and understanding of Him. 
This is completely true of the lost man or woman, but to a certain degree, 
it also applies to the Christian who isn't living a godly lifestyle.

Some believers talk about how they can no longer trust the Lord. 
They may have made a series of wrong choices, 
but they blame God for failing to prevent the negative consequences. 
We have to remember that His primary desire 
is to draw us into an intimate relationship with Him.
 
Sin has consequences, 
and the Lord will not change the principles He has established. 
If we want to know why something has happened, 
we need to move closer to Him, not farther away. 
We also need to seek His forgiveness when we sin.

Someone might ask, 
"Didn't Christ's forgiveness take care of my sin––past, present, and future?". 
The answer is “Yes”; if we have accepted God's gift of salvation, 
our guilt is completely erased in terms of our eternal destiny. 
But we still need 
to confess the wrong choices and decisions we make as believers.

Here is an analogy to explain this truth. 
Think for a moment about being dressed in white;
this is exactly how God views our life the moment we turn it over to Him. 
But then we receive an invitation to visit a coal mine.

We want to go, 
but realize white clothing is inappropriate for this environment. 
Nevertheless, 
curiosity and pressure from friends lead us to accept the offer. 
Soon, we are in the mine and covered with dust and grime. 
Our clothing needs to be cleansed.

Believers are often tempted to walk away from God's call on their lives. 
We live in a corrupt world, 
where all manner of wickedness, profanity, and filth are within our reach. 
When we give in to temptation, it's as if we have just reached out 
and touched the grime of a coal mine and wiped it on our white clothing.

But we can ask for forgiveness and become completely clean again. 
Every believer is sealed with an eternal "stamp" 
signifying that he or she belongs to Jesus Christ. 
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, 
the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him 
with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our 
inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the 
praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13) 
Our salvation is secure. 
Even so, you and I can become spiritually dirty 
and in need of God's cleansing touch.

The Lord does not want us to mix purity and sin, so we must make a choice. 
One leads to inexpressible joy, peace, and security, 
while the other results in isolation, insecurity, regret, and deep sorrow. 
God demands our full commitment—anything less has serious consequences.

Of course, all of us can have moments of drifting devotion. 
But despite that, there should remain an underlying 
irresistible sense of love for God that we are not willing to compromise. 
Knowing the truth about sin and its path to destruction is important, 
but we must also choose to be God-focused 
rather than self-centered or worldly-minded.

If we are carrying around sin, we are going to be weighed down. 
We can't enjoy life completely, and we certainly cannot experience 
the full measure of God's blessings and goodness. 
Jealousy and resentment will steal our joy 
and prevent us from reaching our potential in Christ.

Greed will limit our ability to know what the Lord is calling us to do. 
And, endless pursuit of worldly fame and wealth 
will harden our heart to the simple pleasures that He gives each day. 
Lust and immorality will deaden the heart and spirit 
to such a degree that hearing God becomes impossible.

As believers, 
we cannot engage in sin and remain in close fellowship with our Father.
If I had cherished sin in my heart, 
the Lord would not have listened (Psalm 66:18)
Over time, 
we will become spiritually deaf to the principles written in His Word. 
That leads to one wrong decision after another.

When we have taken the wrong path 
(and all of us will yield to sin at some point),
there is Someone who will stand with us before God. 
John wrote, 
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not 
sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ 
the righteous" (1 John 2:1)

ACTION:
Have you walked away from God and said “No” to His plans for your life?
You need to confess that sin to Him, and when you do, He will forgive you 
and cleanse you from unrighteousness.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our 
sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 
Then, you can once again enjoy the peace, joy, and security 
of an intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know my sins; I cannot hide them from You. You 
know the sins I have committed and You also know my sins of omission; 
those things You demand of me but I have either ignored or rejected them. 
You have given me opportunities for drawing near to You through meeting 
with others to worship and praise You, and by bringing my tithes to Your 
house. Forgive me for my sins and for failing to seize the opportunities You 
have given me to draw closer to You. Show me how to once again enjoy 
peace, joy, and the security of an intimate relationship with You.”