James 4: 7, 8 > Draw near to God
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James 4: 7, 8 ( King James Version ) |
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Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. |
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Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleans your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. |
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James 4: 7 - 10 ( New International Version ) |
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Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. |
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v. 8 > Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash yuor hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. |
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v. 9 > Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. |
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v. 10 > Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. |
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Text Quoted in Spirit of Prophecy |
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"Draw nigh to God." How? By secret, earnest examination of your own heart, by childlike, heartfelt, humble dependence upon God, making known all your weakness to Jesus, and by confessing your sins. We cannot draw nigh to God and behold His loveliness and compassion without realizing our defects and being filled with a desire to rise higher. "And he will draw nigh to you." The Lord will draw nigh to him who confesses to his brethren the wrongs he has done them, and then comes to God in humility and contrition. {OHC 96.3} |
We have the promise, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." This is a precious promise to me for the reason I believe it. I believe God will do just as he said he would. And while we comply with the conditions to draw nigh to God, it is our privilege to claim the promise. Christ has said, "Without me ye can do nothing." It is useless to think that we can do anything unless Christ is abiding in our hearts. {RH, July 12, 1887 par. 1} |
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How much do we believe from the heart? Draw nigh to God, and God will draw nigh to you. This means to be much with the Lord in prayer. When those who have educated themselves in skepticism and have cherished unbelief, weaving questioning doubts into their experience, are under conviction of the Spirit of God, they see it to be their personal duty to confess their unbelief. They open their hearts to accept the light sent them and throw themselves by faith over the line from sin to righteousness, from doubt to faith. They consecrate themselves unreservedly to God, to follow His light in the place of the sparks of their own kindling. As they maintain their consecration, they will see increased light and the light will continue to grow brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. {FW 17.1} |