ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON THE BLESSINGS FROM GOD?

COMMENT:
When you see how scriptures from various parts of the Bible “come together”
to create today’s devotional, you can understand why I am convinced God
provides the content (I’m not smart enough to tie them together on my own).

SCRIPTURE:
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him
if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.
(Deuteronomy 4:29)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever heard someone say, “I just don’t feel the Lord’s presence”
or, “I just can’t seem to enjoy fellowship with the Lord”?
The scriptures tell us that the responsibility is on us.
Since God never changes, He is always there and we must not only “seek Him”,
but seek Him “with all (our) heart and soul”.

What could possibly stand in the way of seeking Him, and seeking Him in this way?
Our selfish pride and other activities can replace our desire to seek Him.
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God. (Psalm 10:4)

Obviously we need to do some housecleaning
if we sincerely want to feel His presence in our lives.
And while we are “tossing things out”,
there are some areas the scriptures tell us to be sure and include.
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of
any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s
holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking,
which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Ephesians 5:3-4)

Sexual immorality, all kinds of impurities, and greed
must be eradicated from our lives, along with obscene words and actions,
and crude jokes (which are out of place for Christians).

Sex has been described as one of our strongest desires (second only to hunger), and
it must be confined to the guidelines established by God as He meant for it to be.
The world encourages us to be jealous, envious, and greedy,
but if we truly want to get nearer to God, they must go!

To encourage us in our cleanup efforts, we are given a warning in God’s Word.
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person
(such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5)

While we are in the process of purifying ourselves and our lives,
we will have some voids from the things we have eliminated.
How do we fill those vacated areas of our lives?

Once again, the scriptures provide us with guidance.
We need to focus on the things God has given us,
and thank Him often for His blessings.
“…but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4)

Also, rather than allowing Satan to control us,
we need to get the upper hand on him.
How do we do that?
By resisting him (not just once, but continually).

That can be a monumental task for any human being,
so how can we acquire the strength and stamina we need?
We submit ourselves to God (not just selected portions of ourselves,
but our entire selves – this confirms our purification efforts are real).
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

When we cleanup, replace our impurities with purities, and go to God (instead of
waiting for Him to come to us), then we have paved a way for getting close to God.
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)

ACTION:
From the scriptures previous listed in this devotional,
we can see the importance of reading the Bible.
It is full of valuable instructions to help us enjoy living our lives to the fullest,
and to experience the joy of fellowshipping with the Lord.

The world has nothing to offer than can even come close to
competing with what God provides, and the blessings we experience
from being near the One who created us.
He welcomes our praise, thanks, and nearness when we obey His commands!
God has His arms open wide for you – what will you do?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I admit I have allowed the things of this world to
corrupt my cleanliness, destroy my happiness, wreck my life in many
ways, and create a chasm between You and me. I miss being near
You, and this day I want to follow Your instructions, so that I can feel
Your presence more every day until You call me home. Thank You,
Father, for all You have given me, and the new life of joy I can
experience through my obedience to Your Word. I praise You and
thank You Lord, because You love me, and I am blessed by You!”