"Near To The Heart of God"

January 16, 2012

“But He gives us more and more power of the Holy Spirit to fully meet this evil tendency of the sin of pride and all others. That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace continually to those who are humble enough to receive it. So be subject to God. Resist the devil and stand firm against him, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. Recognize that you are sinners, realize that you have been disloyal, wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts of your spiritual adultery. As you draw near to God be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep over your disloyalty. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame for your sins. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will lift you up and make your lives significant,” (James 4:6-10) - (Amp.).

“Let the main thing be the main thing.” “Don’t get the horse before the cart.” Put first things first.” God has set up a progression that we have to follow to have our lives become significant. So many Christians feel so very insignificant and worthless. This should not be. If this is how we are feeling it is not because God has moved or gone on vacation but it is because we have left the closeness of His presence. This “leaving” is probably because we have let some “little foxes spoil the vines” (Song of Solomon 2:15).

These “little foxes” are the “little sins” in our life. These sins subtracts from our love of God and the closeness we once experienced. We may consider some sins “little” and some “big,” but any sin breaks our fellowship with Jesus and separates us from His closeness. Only those with clean hands and a pure heart; he who has not lived a lie, nor sworn deceitfully can stand in the presence of the Lord (Psalm 24:4). One of the Beatitudes says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matt.5:8). So we might as well “come clean” with God, He knows all our hidden sins anyway.

With God there are no “little” or “big” sins, some just have more far reaching consequences, but if there were “little” and “big” sins with God, the sin of pride would be the biggest. The First Commandment says that we are not to have any other gods before Jehovah God. When Lucifer fell from his exalted place in heaven, it was because of pride (Isaiah 14:12-15). When we are prideful we become most like Satan (self-centered and self-absorbed). We are born with a sinful nature. Have you noticed how even a baby is self-centered? He cries, “I, I, I,” and when he gets a little older he is very selfish – “Me, Mine, gimme, gimme.” We get this prideful nature from Satan (Lucifer, the Angel of Light, the Deceiver, The father of lies). In heaven he was the “light-bringer, the daystar, and the son of the morning!” In verses 13-14 Lucifer says, “I will” five times. It was his pride that “brought him down.”

Our self-centered nature carries over into adulthood unless Jesus intervenes with a heart transplant (Ezekiel 36:26). Then we can love our neighbor as ourselves; we become givers instead of takers; we are new creatures in Christ! Pride causes us to become our own god, (remember the First Commandment? No one nor nothing can come before God, not even “self.” Pride is the father of all other sins – (remember Lucifer - after pride all other sins came). So in God’s set progression to make our lives significant we must confess our sin of pride, completely submit ourselves to God (holding nothing back),

Next, we must resist the devil by standing firmly against him in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18), then he must flee with that proverbial tail between his legs. After our confession and submission to God and standing against and resisting the devil then we can boldly come close to God in humility and He will come as close as we will let Him, and will raise us up to heavenly places. He doesn’t force us but calls and waits for us to start the progression back to His side, close to His heart.

Near To The Heart of God
Cleland B. McAFEE

There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God,
A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.

There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God,
A place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.

There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God,
A place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before You, near to the heart of God.