Yom Kippur: Closer

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

The enemy wants to separate you.

Jesus wants to draw you near.

Knock down any barrier. Get closer.

The enemy whispers that your sin is too great, that you cannot go back. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. Jesus always wants you back.

Here is the truly remarkable reality of our Savior: He is the Author of new beginnings. He makes all things new. He restores lost time in ways that defy imagination. I know this because I’ve lived it.

We may not undo the damage or retrieve lost years, but God redeems them.

HARD TRUTHS ABOUT STRAYING

The Bible is sober about the cost of wandering. Hebrews warns that if we “have tasted the heavenly gift” and then fall away, it is more dangerous than if we had never known the truth (Hebrews 6:4–6; 10:26). Peter says it would be better never to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn back again, “like a dog to its vomit” (2 Peter 2:20–22).

It is a kind of spiritual relapse, with layers of bondage and shame. Better never to stray.

But even here, the devil is a liar. He says you’ve gone too far. Jesus says: return. If we repent, He welcomes us with open arms.

FORGIVENESS & RECONCILIATION

Here is where we must be clear: forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.

Forgiveness is God’s posture of mercy, His readiness to pardon. Reconciliation is restored relationship. And reconciliation requires repentance. We must admit what we have done, acknowledge that forgiveness is needed, and turn back.

We experience this in real life. We may forgive someone wholeheartedly, but absent honest repentance, the relationship is fractured.

Grace is not carte blanche to sin. Sin remains the devil’s playground and seperates us. It’s not that God moves. We do. Repentance is the only doorway to reconciliation.

THE PRODIGAL’S RETURN

The parable of the prodigal son is often misunderstood. His father rushed to meet him, but the son was returning. Limping home after an awful detour that had promised the world but delivered despair, he was broken and contrite, praying only to be received as a servant.

But his father had been watching the road. “While he was still a long way off,” his father saw him, ran to him, embraced him, and restored him as a son.

If the prodigal had died in the pigsty, the father would never have seen him again. The turning point was not the father’s mercy alone, but the son’s repentance, his free will choice to return.

Don’t wait. Return.

FIVE POINTS of Yom Kippur Repentance

1. Draw near — Take one step toward God, and He will run to meet you (James 4:8).

2. Name sin honestly — Repentance begins with truth, not excuses (1 John 1:8).

3. Reject lies — Satan says you’re too far gone; Christ says come home (Romans 8:1).

4. Seek reconciliation — Forgiveness is offered, but restored relationship requires repentance (Acts 3:19).

5. Return now — Don’t die in the pigsty. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

PRAYER

Father, I am not worthy to receive You. But only say the word, and I shall be healed. Thank You that in Christ, You run to meet me. Seal me in Your love and restore me to Yourself. Amen.Thank You. I love You. 💖

DIG DEEPER

Read the full story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11–32.