Trying to Get Closer To God? Here’s Why You CAN’T Get Any Closer to God
I have often been asked “how can I get closer to God”? Sometimes we try so hard to get closer to God that we can miss something very important. Yes, we want to serve Him, we want to honor Him, and we want to please Him. While these are all natural desires and feelings towards the God of the universe who crushed His son on the cross as payment for our sins, we can sometimes get so obsessed with trying to “earn” closeness to God that we miss the fact that we are (and will remain) close to God no matter what.
Jesus Christ has become our life and 1 Cor 6:17 says “He is one Spirit with us” and this is confirmed again in Romans 6:5. Ephesians reminds us that we were raised and seated with Christ and we need to believe verses like these to help us understand that God will never leave us or forsake us, and that includes when we “feel” like we are letting Him down. God is pleased with His son, and His son abides in you. Bible reading, churchgoing, avoiding sin, etc are all really great and important for the believer, but our closeness to God is not controlled by what we do, but rather by what Christ did.
Our emotions can make us think we are distant from God but it’s so important that we see where we already are with God and that we are in the arms of a loving God who is not turning away from us when we do or don’t do certain things.
Ephesians 3:12 says “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence”. This doesn’t change when we struggle with sin, haven’t read our bibles, or when we have a recent track record that feels light on serving.
So if you want to feel closer to God then the key is to stop looking at yourself and your short comings and instead look at Jesus and believe that He has brought you near to God and nothing can change it. God is not a feeling. He’s a person, and he’s always close and cares dearly for you even when you are not performing very well.
Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
1 Comment
Amen