Stay Near to God
Are you fearful? Are you over overwhelmed? Mentors are willing to talk with you.
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils” (Luke 11:21-22, NIV).
Why did Peter deny Jesus? He confidently declared “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Matthew 26:35, NIV). But only a few short hours later, Peter did the exact opposite. He denied he knew Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted. We don’t have to imagine Peter’s sorrow. We’re told plainly that afterwards “he went outside and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75, NIV).
But this doesn’t answer the question of why Peter denied knowing Him. Part of it was fear: fear of losing his reputation by being associated with a man accused of being a criminal, fear of his responsibilities, fear, perhaps, for his own life. But another reason that Peter ended up denying knowing His Lord is because he was away from Him.
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Peter lost sight of his Lord. It wasn’t until “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter” (Luke 22:61, NIV) that Peter came back to his senses and realized what he had done. After losing sight of Jesus, Peter had been trying to do things on his own strength. Rather than trusting God, he was trusting in himself.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).
Peter himself explains the immanent danger of trying to do everything ourselves God: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, NIV). The apostle James advises us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:7-8, NIV). While even the strongest of men and women are no match for Satan’s temptations on our own, with God we have nothing to fear.
We can stay near to God by reading His Word, by speaking and listening to Him in prayer, and by living in community with His sons and daughters. Stay near to God, and you will never be overwhelmed.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).
Questions: Why do we so often give in to fear? How can we remain close to God and not be overwhelmed?
About this Author Darren Hewer
Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Running Back to God, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog
5 Responses to “Stay Near to God”
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What Do You Fear?
What do you fear, and why? Is it holding you back from realizing your full potential?
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God works in His own time not ours and sometimes we have to wait but He always comes through for us but sometimes we may not like His answer
Trisha and Iyelle,
I couldn’t help but respond to your responses, and I hope you don’t mind that I have.
Like you girls, I too am going through some rough times. I have made quite a few mistakes in my life and am now “paying the piper” as my momma used to say. But, and that’s a big BUT, I finally realized that I can’t do anything without the Lord in my life. I have veered away from Him so many times, that it amazes me that He takes me back like He does. And, girls, He does TAKE ME BACK! I know He does, because I feel it. Way down deep.
Every morning, before I do anything else (well, except take care of the four legged creatures here) I read my devotions. And then I talk to God. I thank Him for ALL He has done for me and all He is going to do for me. I ask Him for what what I’d “like” to have (I’m only human!) but I also have to remind myself that it is in His hands and He is in control now. And then I give it all to Him. When I get out of the car at work, I remind Him that it is His day and this is His job, to do with me what He will, but please make me a blessing to someone.
Do I have riches bestowed on me? No. Have the little elves come in and cleaned my home while I slept? Again, no. Is my nephew still in Iraq and my son still going next month? Sadly, yes.
But, I KNOW that God is in control of these too. I know all of this because I gave it all to Him. The hardest part of all of this is to leave it with Him and not try and “help” Him “fix” what you have asked Him to fix. The other thing I have found hard to do is to be quiet so you can hear Him when He speaks to you. I can’t be quiet in my sleep! So you can imagine how hard I find that!!!
My brother has a saying that I really like.
“I know two things for sure. One..only one man walked on water one this earth. Two…it wasn’t me”
I love this statement. That means I don’t have to be perfect. Which is a good thing. Cuz, I sure ain’t!
Girls, don’t give up. Look up! When you ask God to forgive you, you have to remember that He does, but you have to forgive yourselves too!
Just listen. God hears you.
I promise He does. And He will answer in His own time and in His own way.
I feel the same way you do Trisha. Right now I am going through some rough times in my life and its as if God knows about it but progressing slowly instead of curing it right then and there. I love my Heavenly Father and its state that we shouldnt get overwhelmed with life issues,but it is so hard to give the issues to God and let him take care of my problems when it seems like he is taking an eternity to resolve them. It just seems like I’m getting the worst and I am a good hearted person, who might sometimes make the wrong decisions at times, but in the Bible it states that He is a forgiving God, I want Him to forgive me and cleanse me of my sins and allow me to walk on the right path.
Even though i am in the Word every single day, i still do NOT experience the promises of the LORD. Like when He says He will “lead me into the sitll waters and make me lie down in the green pasture’s”. That IF i love Him and stay close to Him He will fill my needs and supply my desires according to His Word. i feel like He throws me “crumbs” when He has the “whole loaf”. i live with a coiled up tension in my gut every day, have trouble falling asleep and have serious trust issues. He says there is “no love” like His and if i just stay close to Him He will satisfy me yet i don’t experience the truth of His statement. i feel starved for affection, love, understanding and being held close without some man wanting to rip my clothes off. i just am NOT experiencing the LORD’s promises. i get especially upset when i read the scriptures about “His richness in all things” and how no earthly being can come close to fulfilling desires like He can and, i believe it is true yet it’s not being EXPERIENCED in my life. i DO love the LORD and He KNOWS i do too!
Straying from God’s hand, walking from His “umbrella of protection” by dating a saved yet uncommitted christian man has cost me much. Through our relationship I have continued devotions, fellowshipped with my christian girlfriends and watched Charles Stanley on Sunday mornings at home. My life is barren. Today is a new day! I am “singing a new song” to our Lord! I BELIEVE and KNOW God is with me. Thanks for the confirmation!