Morning by Morning, November 18 - “Draw Near” Good morning, Lord Jesus. You invite every one of us, You promise every one of us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to You” (James 4:8). As I begin my day speaking out Your name and listening for the leading of Your Spirit, I embrace Your invitation and believe Your promise. ... “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19-23). By the sacrifice and the power of Your blood, I can “have confidence to enter the holy places” of Your Presence. And only by the sacrifice and the power of Your blood, can I “draw near” to God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Because You’ve cleansed me, because You’ve washed me, I can draw near and enter into the place of spiritual intimacy with a holy God, despite all the unholy thoughts and desires and actions of my life. Forgive me for ever taking that for granted. Forgive me for every time I’ve held back and for every moment I’ve failed to enter in. Forgive me for breaking Your heart in that way after all You’ve done and sacrificed for me. I love You, Lord. And I thank You for first loving me. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2). “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). Now, not only can we come into Your holy places, You’ve made us to be Your holy places. Not only can we come and embrace Your love through “the access of faith into this grace,” but Your love actually comes to abide in us through the Spirit of Your very Presence, the Holy Spirit of the Living God who “has been given to us.” This is Your love. This is Your grace. And this morning I take time to embrace Your Presence and Your promise, not holding back, but fully taking hold of all You’ve done and sacrificed for me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the love of Jesus, Tommy Hays My friend, may you draw near to God who longs to draw near to you and abide within you by His Holy Spirit who has been given to you through the sacrifice and love of God for you in Jesus Christ, in Jesus' name. God bless you!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries Mailing Address: 412 S. Adams Street #148 Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Please share this word to encourage a friend! Anyone can sign up for free at: https://messiah-ministries.org | 
