This word is submitted by Teresa Seputis (ts@godspeak.org)

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                              Draw Near

Draw near to Me, child of Mine, for I would call you to a deeper level
of intimacy with your loving Father.  I desire to hold you close, to 
hug you, to reassure you of My love for you and of your great value to
Me.  I desire to saturate your spirit with My goodness, to pour My
love and My acceptance over you.

Do not pull back from Me when you feel dirty, unclean or unworthy.  For 
I say to you that I love My children when they are dirty just as much 
as I love them when they are clean.  I do not push My dirty children 
away when they run to Me.  Instead, I give them a bath!  I wash them 
with loving arms and then I towel dry them, dress them in white and 
set them before Me pure and holy.

So often the enemy will tell you that you cannot come to Me because you
are unclean. But I say to you, My bathtub is large and My arms are ever
open to you.  It is true that you cannot stay before Me dirty, but you
can certainly run to Me when you are dirty and allow Me to clean you
up.  The reason that My Son endured all that He endured on the cross was
so that sin and filth would have no power to separate you from Me.
For I desire for you to be close to Me.  So do not listen to the enemy's
lies.  Do not run from Me or hide from Me, no matter how unworthy you
feel. Instead, come to Me and let Me embrace you and then I will clean 
you up.

There truly is no condemnation to My beloved children, to those who have
elected to make Me their Lord and Master, and who serve Me with a willing
heart.  Yes, you will make mistakes.  We both know that will happen.
But when it does happen, do not make yet another mistake by running away
from Me.

Allow Me to embrace you, no matter what condition you are in.  If you 
come to Me clean and holy, you have done well and I am pleased.  And you
will see greater releases of My presence and of My anointing and of My 
power and of My authority released to you at those times when you draw
near to Me in holiness and purity.  But if you come to Me in filthy rags
having soiled yourself for a passing moment by the things of the world,
you have still done well to come to Me so that I might fix it and clean 
you up.  You belong to Me and I have sent you to My Son.  And My Son has
promised Me that He would not loose any of the ones that I sent to Him.
So child, you are kept and you are safe.  My Son will not push you away,
no matter how unworthy you feel.  I will not push you away either.

Understand that your feelings are not always reality.  You can feel clean 
and righteous when you are grieving My Spirit.  And if you do that, I will 
convict you and show you what changes we must make together so that you 
are fully pleasing to Me.  And you can feel dirty and soiled when you are 
in fact clean and unmarred, for the devil is an accuser and a liar.  So 
your feelings do not necessarily reflect your status with Me.  But even 
in the times when you are dirty and guilty and you know it, as you repent 
before Me I immediately purify you and make you clean. Then I draw you 
near to Me and I hold you close and I allow My nearness to saturate your 
senses.  

As you draw near to Me, I allow you to inhale My fragrance.  I remove the
dirt and the grim and the gunk that you might not even know is there, so
that there is more room for My Spirit to fill you.  I allow you to bask in 
the very presence of the living God and I make you aware of My goodness 
and of My faithfulness.

I have good things in store for those who draw near to Me. So draw near, 
child, draw near.