(“The Kimberly Joy Show: Rewards of Drawing Nigh to God”)

Life has its rewards when we draw nigh to God. So, it is in our best interests to surrender to the Creator, the one in control. After all, He has EVERYTHING we need! Unfortunately, as human beings, sometimes we forget that and behave as if we can do everything on our own. However, we cannot! Contrary to what some people believe, we can’t do anything without God because, again, He is our Creator. Acts 17:28 says:

“…In Him [God] we live, and move, and have our being…”

We breathe because of God. Our hearts beat because of God. We wake up every morning because of God. Therefore, we need God!

So many rewards are gained from drawing nigh to God. For one, we gain salvation and eternal life. Initially, we come close to God by accepting His Son Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus says in John 14:6:

“…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

Now, you may ask, “Why do I have to go through Jesus to get to God?” The answer is very simple. God set it up that way! According to Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, life became difficult for them. Their rebellion brought sin and death into the world. God had created them to live forever, to never experience pain, illness or death. Nevertheless, their decision changed all that. They would eventually grow old, weak and die. Moreover, EVERY person coming after them (including you and me) would experience the same thing.

Adam and Eve’s rebellion also caused a rift in their relationship with God. They became spiritually dead and were no longer connected to God. Therefore, because of the sin, death, and disconnection, God sent His Son Jesus to earth to serve as a Mediator. What is a mediator, you ask? A mediator is “a person who intervenes between two individuals who are not in agreement.” Sin causes us NOT to be in agreement with God. However, when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, He acts as our Mediator and reconciles us back to God. In other words, Jesus reunites us with God. 1 Timothy 2:5 says:

“For there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.”

Once we are reunited with God, God no longer sees us as sinners, but as His righteous children who will one day live with Him forever. II Corinthians 5:21 says:

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

Another reward we gain when we draw nigh to God is peace. Romans 5:1 says:

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

How would you define peace? Some definitions include “freedom from disturbance; quiet; tranquility, calm, restfulness.” In the biblical sense, peace means “to be complete” or “to be sound.” II Timothy 1:7 says:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

When we are made right with God through Jesus, we are complete. As our pastor Apostle Banks always says, “Nothing missing, nothing broken!” Everything we need is in God. So, we don’t have to fear anything or anyone. We don’t have to fear what will happen tomorrow because God is our Father, and He is ALWAYS with us.

I’ll give you an example:

About three months ago, I was heading home around 6:30 in the evening. As I was driving, my car started acting strangely and eventually just shut completely off! EVERYTHING shut off! I couldn’t even get the key out of the ignition! Naturally, because I was feeling helpless and scared, I could feel myself tearing up.

A couple of minutes later, a few people stopped to try to help me, but they couldn’t. Then a few minutes after that, an older gentleman stopped to help. Fortunately, the man turned out to be a mechanic. Within twenty minutes, he had my car running well enough for me to get home. Not only did he turn out to be a mechanic, but he also happens to live near me. So, he offered to follow me home just in case I had any more problems. Once we got my car home, he then offered to repair my car, and two days later I was back in business!

Through that particular experience, God reassured me that He has my back! No matter what situation I am in, I don’t have to fear. I only need to have faith in God because He makes my life complete. In other words, God gives me PEACE! In fact, even as my car was shutting down right before my very eyes, God was whispering in my ear, “Trust Me!”

In addition, when we draw nigh to God we receive healing. We can be healed physically, emotionally, and mentally. However, I want to focus on physical healing. I find that sometimes as believers we don’t believe that we can be healed in our bodies. But, we CAN be healed if we just ask God and believe Him. Throughout the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), we read about how Jesus healed so many people. As believers, we are to follow His example. We can receive healing for ourselves and for others. In Matthew 10:1, Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them power to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. When we as believers draw nigh to God, He gives us the same power!

In our church Power and Faith Ministries, many people have been healed from cancer and other diseases. In fact, a gentleman in our church was healed from a brain tumor approximately ten years ago. The doctors had done everything they could do, and told his wife to call the family in to say their final goodbyes. However, she wasn’t willing to give up that easily. So, we continued to pray and stand on the Word of God. As a result, her husband was healed and he is STILL walking in his healing today!!!

While I was an English teacher at Dater High School, I witnessed God heal two of my students. One was healed from cancer and the other from near-blindness. When they each first told me about their illnesses, I called on other prayer warriors to join me in praying for their healing. I even went to see my student who had cancer, while he was in the hospital. Soon after we prayed, God healed both of them. I now communicate with them from time to time via social media, and I am happy to say that they are STILL doing well!

As believers in Christ Jesus, when we draw nigh to God, He shows us that we don’t have to accept what the doctors say or what our bodies tell us. We can receive total healing if we just believe!

So many other rewards can be attained when we draw nigh to God. Personally speaking, as I draw closer to God I receive more and more from Him, not just material blessings, but spiritual blessings. I hear His voice more clearly and He continues to use me for His glory. And, at the end of the day, that is what is most important. So, I encourage YOU to keep drawing nigh to God and trust that, as Psalms 84:11 states, there is no good thing He will withhold from you!

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