Hit By a Hammer...You know, like a Jack Hammer!

"Draw Near to God, and He will draw near 
to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, 
and purify your hearts, you double-
minded." James 4:8

And there is more..... James 4:7, 9-10
First, "Submit yourselves therefore 
to God. Resist the devil, and he will 
flee from you....Be wretched and mourn 
and weep. Let your laughter be turned 
to mourning and your joy to gloom. 
Humble yourselves before the Lord, 
and he will exalt you."

When these words were first brought into my (Mia's) spirit this week, it was simply the verse of "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Mostly because I felt so far away, depression hit me over the head like a hammer...... no, more like a Jack-hammer, and I was struggling to feel anything, especially near. Not struggling to know, but struggling to feel.

But as I (finally) opened my Bible and pressed into the verses surrounding this command, I saw there was so much more. It was a call to repentance, a call to turn from pride and basically a pissy attitude (of which I had all of the above.)

But my question to the Lord was, How do I draw near, when I barely have the energy and focus to get out of bed?  Thank you Merriam-Webster for helping me define my struggle.

Draw : to come out (get out of bed, Mia, and move!)
Draw : to cause to go in a certain direction (get up and move toward your Bible, to times of devotion and prayer)
Draw : inhale (breath in His word)
Draw : to extract the essence from (seek Him and He will be found-dig deep, listen)
Draw : accumulate, gain ( dig in His word, seek prayer, seek counsel)
Draw: to bend a bow (Mia, humble yourself and bend low before the King)
Draw : to produce a likeness or representation of by making lines on a surface (Mia, let Him make you more like Him)

Do you need to draw near to the Lord?...........the answer is Yes! So how are you doing? Are you struggling like I was, are you pressing in, are you strong,are you weak or are you all the above?

The command is clear: Submit, draw near, repent and humble yourself. 
The promise is sure: He WILL draw near to you, He will exalt and lift you up.

Have a great week, press in, draw close and let's check back together on Friday and see what God has been up to in our lives as we draw near to Him, knowing that He is always near and will NEVER leave us or forsake us.

Love you in the Lord!
Mia

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