Mensa Otabil - Walk Close to God (11/09/2025)
This is day two of our 40 days of power, and I trust that you started well yesterday. We are 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 4:8. 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 we separate ourselves unto the Lord.
That means that we become aware that this is a moment dedicated to God. The passage tells us a few things that we can apply to this season of fasting as we approach God with a diligent heart, with 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.
You know, one of the disciplines we develop when we are in a time of consecration like this is to intentionally think about God. Intentionally. I know that sometimes when you are working in the office, your mind is on your office work and on your business transactions. Yes, you have to be mindful of all the things you’re doing, but make time to think about God. So, I recommend that every five minutes in an hour, whether it’s during 11:00 or 12 to 1, just take five minutes. If five minutes is too much, just take one minute and make it a God minute, a God moment. Think about God, read one verse of Scripture, and join us in prayer online. Do something to be mindful of God every time.
So, draw near to the Lord. Walk close to God. Secondly, walk right before God. He says, «Cleanse your hands.» That means that in this time, we have to be careful to develop a relationship with God that is not hypocritical. If there are things in our lives that we need to deal with, sins in our lives that we need to address, we must confront them. We have to go to God not hiding from our sin or thinking that, «Oh, God will still hear me no matter what I do because I’m fasting.» No, we have to cleanse our hands. That means everything we do that does not bring glory to God must be addressed. Our actions must please God. The thing is, the closer you are to the Lord, the further away you are from sin.
So, once you’re God-minded and you’re thinking about Him, staying in His presence, and worshiping Him, you will find that sin begins to be remote in your life. It leaves your life because your mind is centered on the Lord. So, walk right before God. The third thing: walk by faith in God’s Word. It says, «Purify your hearts, 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 has to be done in faith. And 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 God has said, and allow the Word of God to take predominance in your life. Let the things of God envelope you, surround you, 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. And amen.»