From Drifting to Drawing

God needs them to hear me.

Welcome Church | Online | Lopez

Introduction

Anchor Scripture

James 4:8 (ESV)

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

Draw vs. Drift

If you’re not drawing towards God, you’re drifting from Him.

Sermon Title: From Drifting to Drawing

Question: How do we position our lives in such a way that we draw consistently and don’t drift away from God’s will?

Pray

Define

Drawing: Intentionally moving closer to God.

Drifting: Unintentionally moving away from God.

PART 1 — You Don’t Drift Intentionally, You Drift by Default

1. Drift Is Not a Decision

No one wakes up and decides to drift from God.

Drift happens when we stop drawing near.

If you don’t seek God first, you’ll eventually drift from Him.

You’ll go from purpose—being in God’s will—to wickedness and won’t even remember how you got there.

We want to learn to be preventative, not reactive.

2. What Drifting Looks Like

If you’re not drawing near to God, you’ll drift into:

Comfort

Selfishness

Sin

Eventually, destruction

The less you draw, the more you drift.

Marriage / Relationships

We say, “But I’m not doing anything wrong.”

That’s the problem—you’re not doing anything.

That’s how you drift from someone.

3. Why You Don’t Feel the Drifting

Illustration: Swimming

Being near to God is like swimming downstream.

Drifting isn’t swimming the wrong way—it’s not swimming at all.

You’re not drifting because you’re fighting God.

You’re drifting because you’ve stopped drawing near to Him.

Personal Confession

My struggles with drawing—my phone, the deception of social media.

Following pastors. Watching church reels.

It feels spiritual, but it can replace actual intimacy.

4. The Deception of Proximity

Being close to God’s people is not the same as being close to God.

Church ≠ intimacy

Activity ≠ nearness

Groups, hangs, attendance can be deceiving

I’ve had this thought too.

This can’t replace God. It is not a worthy supplement.

A relationship with God’s people is not the same as a relationship with God.

PART 2 — What Drift Pulls You Toward

We don’t drift into nothing—we drift into things that compete with God.

There’s always something on the other side, and I promise you, the grass ain’t greener.

1. What Drifting Actually Is

Drifting means slowly moving away from:

Your relationship with God

His desires for how you should live

His will for your life

It happens slowly.

It doesn’t just happen because we don’t draw toward God—we choose things instead of God.

2. The World’s Better “Options”

Drift happens because the world disguises itself as a better option than God:

Relationships

Money

Plans

Success

Wisdom

These things don’t look sinful—but they pull us away.

There is no better option than God for any need we have.

3. Comfort Is the Greatest Threat

We don’t drift into chaos—we drift into comfort.

Personal Story: how I’ve been living this recently.

The less I draw, the more comfortable I get in unchecked areas of my life.

Comfort isn’t evil—but unchecked comfort will always compete with God.

God is comfort. It’s when we decide comfort is something other than God that leads us to destruction.

Question:

What has quietly taken precedence over God in your life?

PART 3 — How to Stop Drifting and Stay Close

Closeness to God is sustained by rhythms, not intentions.

Hebrews 2:1 (NLT)

“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.”

1. Intention Is Not Enough

You don’t drift by intention.

And you don’t stay close to God by intention either.

Closeness requires structure.

Structure creates consistency.

Consistency produces nearness.

2. Establish Godly Rhythms

Habits are built on consistency, not intensity.

It’s not about how much you do—it’s about how often you do it.

Don’t just plan—execute.

Simple rhythms:

Pray daily (a few minutes)

Read Scripture daily (a few minutes)

Rest weekly

Fast as needed

Thank God constantly

Small, faithful habits keep you swimming.

The Bible talks about training and daily practices constantly.

3. Protect Your Home Life

The enemy targets the home because if he can tear down your home, he tears down a legacy.

Protect:

Your marriage

Your kids

Your family time

When the home is fractured, spiritual drift accelerates.

Husbands:

The most important responsibility you have is your wife and kids and how you steward them toward God.

If you’re not drawing, don’t expect them to.

4. Serving [Spend time here][Tie it back to Answer the Call]

Mark 10:45 (NLT)

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

“The most miserable people live for themselves. The people with the greatest happiness and contentment give their life away for something bigger than themselves.” -PJ

We want other people to get free.

Ephesians 4:12 (ESV)

“To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

Our job is to equip you to be ministers.

Start here. Serve the House.

You’ve been begging for growth—this is where it starts.

Serving changes your heart.

5. Guarding the Heart

Proverbs 4:23

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

If you don’t guard the space God is seated in, something/someone else will take God’s place.

Closing — The Promise of Drawing Near

James 4:8

God doesn’t change our lives from far away—He changes us when we’re near Him.

Fight to stay close.

Nothing compares to closeness to God.

Nothing compares to living near.

It may be uncomfortable now, but trust the discomfort of adjusting to the new normal.

Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.     They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary.     They will walk and not faint.

Final Close

You can’t find it if you’re not seeking.

So seek. Draw. And you’ll find everything you need.