Submit your total being to your Father. Resist the devil. There are forces at work in the world that are totally against your nearness to God; resist these forces. Draw near by cleansing your hands of any sinful act. Examine your heart and purify your divided heart so that it has one single mind to draw near. Let your heart mourn its division and confess; close the gap between where you are and where you should be by repentance. Humble yourselves; cast out pride, self-sufficiency and all arrogance and bend your knees, bend your heart, before the One Who longs to be near you and has invited you to this communion.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:7–10 (ESV)
