READ: Isaiah 59.1-2 NLT
Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

If God feels far away, guess who moved. Isaiah makes it clear that the answer is decisively not God. Throughout the years people have lashed out at God because he seemed so distant. Have you ever had that feeling that your prayers were bouncing off the ceiling and getting nowhere? I suspect all of us have had that experience from time to time, so we all need to listen to Isaiah and learn that God is never weak or deaf. So when we feel far away from God, the problem is entirely with us.
In order to keep close to God we need to keep an eagle eye on the sins which can so easily creep into our lives and push God away. The problem with sin is that it normally presents itself innocently. Perhaps you are feeling overlooked at work. You don’t feel that you have received the recognition that you deserve. You start to feel resentful. On the face of it that’s understandable but the resentment will grow roots and start to affect your relationship with your colleagues, and can lead to bitterness and anger. From a small start it can lead to emotions that can be incredibly destructive.
Yesterday my wife and I had the delight of unblocking a pipe in our bathroom sink. The accumulation of hair and general gunk was amazing! Over the years the 
blockage had silently built up without us noticing anything. No big obstacles, 
simply the build up of little parts which, in the end, had made the sink unusable. It is exactly the same with sin. It grows slowly and subtly and is hardly noticeable at first. But as it grows it pushes God away and makes us feel that he has abandoned us. Be encouraged. God hasn’t left us for a moment and never will.
QUESTIONS: How do you face up to the little sins that creep into your life?
PRAYER: Lord God, help me to notice those sins that get in the way of my relationship with you and to own up to them. Thank you that you are always willing to forgive me. Amen

Released on 17 Jun 2021