Welcome to our new blog for The Scripture Store. If this is your first time here, welcome. My name is Ashley Poptodorova, Founder of The Scripture Store, and I am so glad you've found our online Christian boutique. 

Our whole goal here at TSS is to help you in three simple ways: to Memorize, Wear and Share The Gospel. Our focal passage is Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of The Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." 

Everything we do, is centered around this mission. Whether through offering our unique, high end, Collection to help start Gospel centered conversations, or through our blog, created to encourage you in your walk with Jesus; all we do will be with this in mind. 

Today on the blog, I wanted to kick off by sharing 4 Ways to Draw Near to God. In a world so full of busyness, these are things we can easily forget, or set to the side. My hope is, that you will start to draw nearer and nearer to Christ, the only One who offers hope and healing for this ailing world. 

James 4:8-10 NKJV says "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleans your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of The Lord and He will lift you up." 

Essentially what this is saying is that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us- but we cannot be walking in sin and close to God at the same time. He wants us to have pure hearts, minds and to be humble before Him. 

Sometimes, in our walk with Jesus, we feel as if we aren't as close or that there is distance between us. One thing I know, is that we can always be sure it wasn't  Jesus who moved. He is always here, and always ready for us to draw near to Him.

1. Accept Jesus as Your Personal Lord and Savior

The very first step to drawing near and getting closer to The Lord, is accepting Jesus. The Bible is so clear that without Jesus, there is no access to God.

In John 14:6 it tells us "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." 

This verse is saying, that we must accept Christ and He is the only way to God the Father. You can receive salvation available through Jesus by placing your faith in Him, repenting of your sins and fully trusting in His life, death and resurrection for the payment of your sins. He did what no one else could do, He took on your sins, my sins and the sins of this world.

We just need to place our trust in Him, accept this free gift of grace, confess Him as Lord of our lives and repent of our sinfulness. 

Once you have accepted Jesus, He promises His Holy Spirit who will guide you into God's truth, and help you draw nearer and nearer to Him. 

If you have accepted Christ, but fallen away or become stagnant in your walk, you can still turn back in repentance and draw near. He is waiting for you with open arms. 

2. To Draw Near, We Must Know God's Word 

This is a topic that I am so passionate about. In addition to running The Scripture Store, I also run Ladies Who Love Christ Ministries, a Women's Ministry that is set on teaching you to study and develop the habit of getting into God's Word. 

God gave us His Word to know Him. To know God's will, we must know His Word. So often, people buy the lie that they can know 'about' God detached from His Word, and this simply is not true. The Gospel (the good news) tells us about God, and by knowing God- and drawing near to Jesus, we learn all we need to draw near and develop intimacy with Him. 

One of my favorite passages is Hebrews 4:12 "For The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." 

Investing into a study Bible (such as the one pictured here) offered at The Scripture Store, will help you to study God's Word in time, culture and context. Digging deep into the precious pages of God's Word will help you to draw near.  

https://thescripturestore.com/collections/bibles-notebooks/products/hr-esv-study-bible

3. Worship and Praise Jesus to Draw Near 

God is always good. Even when life is hard. Even when things aren't going our way. Even when we suffer unimaginable losses. He is good and He cares. This is one of the hardest things for people to understand, that 'even if'... He is still good.

I have come to understand in my walk with Jesus, that I will never experience that entirety of my heart's deepest desires and longing for Him, on earth. It won't be until I get to Heaven that I get to experience those things, that we all long and desire after. No more pain, no more heartache, no more tears... 

Cultivating a habit of worship and praise in our lives, turns our hearts and minds from our problems to Christ alone. When we shift our focus to the perfection of Jesus, and what He has done for us- all else pales in comparison to this. 

Maybe your worship is done in the form of art, writing, journaling or singing- whatever ways you bring honor and praise to Him, do it wholeheartedly, knowing that He cares for you. 

Psalms 147:1 tells us to Praise Yahweh! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is becoming. 

He is so so worthy of our praise and worship. 

4. Draw Near Through Prayer

Prayer is vital to drawing near to God. Praying is communication with Him. Anytime you want to get to know someone, isn't communication a crucial piece to this? Our prayer time with Jesus is no different.

It does not need to be done in an exact way- it can simply be you pouring out your thoughts, concerns, petitions and requests before Him. He is always there, always available to hear from you.

To me, this is an amazing thought, When my prayer life suffers, I know my heart posture isn't right, or perhaps my focus is shifted on the wrong things- and it is an ample reminder to come back to Jesus- in repentance, prayer and praise. 

Philippians 4:6 tells us to be anxious in nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving (praise!) let your requests be made known to God. 

He cares for you, and He cares for all that you are going through. As you seek to draw near to Jesus, this week - focus your hearts on Him and give Jesus time in your life. You will be amazed at how you grow and the direction you get from stilling yourself before Him. 

To enjoy more of our resources, including Sermon Notes, Note-taking Bibles and Study Bibles and more, to help you build intimacy with Jesus, check out this section on The Scripture Store. We are constantly adding to our growing Collection to help you Memorize, Wear and Share The Gospel.

https://thescripturestore.com/collections/bibles-notebooks

 Thank you for letting us serve you. 

In His Love, 

Ashley Poptodorova 

Founder of The Scripture Store