How to Get Close to God - James 4:7-8

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." These verses provide a concise, three-step formula for getting close to God:

1. Submit to God. This admonition means present yourself to God by yielding or surrendering your will to His will. In doing so you accept His will for your life so that you want to do whatever He plans for you. In much the same way that an enemy would surrender by laying his sword down before a conqueror, we yield our will to God's will.
2. Resist the devil. The resistance in this step is the opposite of the submission in Step 1. Surrender to God but put up resistance to the devil. In a recent post we discussed the origin of temptation and concluded that it is our own evil desires that tempt us and not God and not always the devil (James 1:13-15). However, when the devil does tempt us, all we have to do for the devil leave us alone is refuse to give in to him. Thus, a simple act of a God-submitted will demobilizes the devil. 
3. Draw near to God. When we surrender to God and resist the devil, then we are set free to approach God and come nearer to Him. And when we approach God, He reciprocates--God comes near to us!

It seems to be a simple formula, doesn't it? But here's the hitch. It's not a one-time event. To get close to God you must apply these steps continually--that means every day. When we begin to apply this formula to our lives continually, then we will begin to understand what Jesus was teaching us in Luke 9:23 when He said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."