Mensa Otabil - Draw Near to God (10/03/2025)
This is day two of our 40 days of power, and I trust that you started well yesterday. We’re continuing today in the strength of the Lord, in the power of the Lord, in the victory of the Lord. I’m reading from James chapter 4, verse 8: «Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.» During a period of fasting, we draw near to God and separate ourselves unto the Lord. This means we become aware that this is a moment dedicated to God, and the passage tells us a few things we can apply to this season of fasting as we approach God with a diligent heart-a heart that seeks Him.
The first thing is that we must walk close to God. Draw near to the Lord; God wants us to be aware of Him at all times, and our thoughts must be centered around Him. One of the disciplines we develop during a time of consecration like this is to intentionally think about God. I know that sometimes when you are working in the office, your mind is focused on your tasks and business transactions. Yes, you have to be mindful of all you’re doing, but make time to think about God. We recommend that every five minutes during an hour-say, from 12 to 1 o’clock-you take five minutes. If five minutes is too much, just take one minute and turn it into a God minute, a God moment. Think about God, read one verse of scripture, and join us in prayer online. Do something to keep God in mind at all times. So, draw near to the Lord; walk close to God.
Secondly, walk right before God. He says to cleanse your hands, which means we must be careful to develop a relationship with God that is not hypocritical. If there are things in our lives that we need to address or sins we need to confront, we need to deal with them. We must go to God, not hiding from our sin or thinking that He will still hear us no matter what we do because we’re fasting. No, we must cleanse our hands. Everything we do that does not bring glory to God must be dealt with. Our actions must please God. The thing is, the closer you are to the Lord, the further away you are from sin. When you’re God-minded, thinking about Him and staying in His presence while worshiping Him, you will find that sin begins to recede from your life. It leaves your life because your mind is centered on the Lord. So, walk right before God.
The third thing is to walk by faith in God’s Word. It says, «Purify your heart, you double-minded.» A double-minded person is someone whose faith is not strong; it’s wishy-washy, not firmly fixed. The Lord wants us to remove doubts from our hearts. Fasting is not a substitute for faith. Just because you’re fasting doesn’t mean you’re doing it in faith; it must be done in faith. Faith comes by the Word of God, so during a period of fasting, you must stay in the Word of God. Read the promises of God; believe what He has said; and allow the Word of God to take precedence in your life.
On this second day, let us draw near to the Lord. It’s a good time, since it’s a day of worship, for you to be in church, drawing close to other believers and sharing fellowship with them. Stay in God’s presence; let your life be enveloped in the things of God. Let the things of God surround and overshadow you because this is a moment of consecration to the Lord. May we all draw near to the Lord, and may we meet Him on this second day of our 40 days of power.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, today I come to You with all my heart. Cleanse me and make me whole before You, in Jesus' name. Amen.»
Well, day number two is beginning, and it’s going to be a great day. I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.