Becoming the Man God's Future Requires

Good morning, sir!

Welcome to day 8! Wow! You've completed a full week! I'm glad you're here to begin week two!

Let’s start with this prayer:   Lord, You know exactly where I am today and the responsibilities screaming for my attention.   Lord, this burdens me.  So right now, I ‘come to You!’  I come to take Your yoke and carry Your burden because You’ve promised they are easy and light. And I rejoice in Your promise to give rest to my soul—my psyche! In Jesus' name, amen!”

That’s the Greek word in that verse.  He promises rest for our souls and I bet you’re exactly like me: I need His peace, for my mind, my will, and my emotions!

Pastor Paul read this verse: “Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  James 4:8

Today, I felt like we just needed encouragement to come near to God.  God knows every responsibility we carry.  But sometimes our greatest burden isn't the responsibility itself.  It is our insistence on carrying it independently of God!  And spiritual speaking, if we have dirty hands, or we have impure hearts, this is where we must humble ourselves!

Humility ends the burden of the double life!  It allows God to cleanse both the outside and the inside, bringing what we love inwardly into agreement with what we profess outwardly.

Nothing needs to remain hidden! We can draw near to Him with nothing to conceal and experience the reality of His freedom and of His presence!

Let’s pray this together: Lord, I come near to You now!  I declare Your promise: You are near me!  And ‘If the Son therefore shall make me free, I shall be free indeed!’ John 8:36 Lord, make that freedom a living reality today! In Jesus' name, amen!”