How to Draw Near to God - 1 - Live Righteously

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How to D raw Near to God - 1 - L ive Righteously If you want to live what I call an "ABC Life" ­ an abundant, blessed, carefree life ­ then draw near to God. James 3:8 says if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. If you really focus on God and allow Him to be your everything, allow Him to be your reason for living, I guarantee you will live an "ABC Life". "How do I do that?" you may ask. "How do I draw near to Him so that He can draw near to me?" There are 3 "Cornerstones" that I believe will invite the presence of God in your life. These cornerstones are in addition to the weapons that create the foundation of your personal relationship: praise, worship, fasting, prayer and study. I believe these "3 Cornerstones" will allow Him free reign in your life. Live Righteously is the first of the three. Now this is not to be confused with you being "the righteousness of God". There is nothing you can do to earn your righteousness. The moment Jesus Christ gave his last breath on the cross, you were restored to your rightful place as God's righteousness, originally made in his image, for His pleasure. You are justified through your faith in Christ and that's been established. By "living righteously" I mean making sure you are in "right standing" with God­ living holy, living pure, walking the straight and narrow. Matthew 7:14 says that "strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it." You want to be living your life in such a way that's pleasing to God. And I'm not referring to good deeds (that's Cornerstone #2); I mean you have a heart that's clean, a life that's pure. Here are 3 keys to "righteous living": 1. Live free from sin ­ confess your sins daily and ask God to forgive you. Ro 3:23 says we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but 1 John 1:9 says if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Make sure you are "clean" daily! 2. Forgive others who sin against you ­ Don't harbor anger, and bitterness and hate, unforgiveness in your heart. God wants to come in and bless you and bless your life, but unforgiveness is an abundant life killer! Expediently forgive others so that you stay in "right standing" with God. (It's important for you to know that if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses (Mk 11:26). 3. Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind ­ just like Jesus says in Matthew 22:37. In other words, give all of your allegiance to God. That means there can be no "little g" gods in your life ­ we have a tendency to make money, relationships, work, material possessions our gods. Don't allow anything to take priority over God in your life. He says loving Him and loving others are the 2 commandments that the other laws hang on. Matt 5:20 says "except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven". In other words, it's more than living by the law. Your heart has to be clean, your life pure. This is "righteous living". Righteousness is a condition of the heart!


If you want to draw near to God, and you want Him to draw near to you, keep his commandments. John 14:21. It says "He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love Him and manifest myself to Him." He promises to show up ­ to draw near! If you want an "ABC Life"­ an abundant, blessed and carefree life ­ and I know that you do ­ draw nearer to Him. Clean your life of sin, unforgiveness and those "little g" gods. Put Him first. Live righteously! And now on to Cornerstone #2... Want to strengthen your faith and learn to encourage yourself in the Lord? Join Kingdom Friends™, Encouragement Coach LaVondilyn J. Watson's nationwide community of Christian women, and get targeted coaching and resources directly in your email inbox! It's free! Join today at http://www.encouragethekingdom.com and get a coaching download immediately! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LaVondilyn_J._Watson

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