Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
—James 4:7 (KJV)
Let's admit it. Most of us would like for spiritual growth to be easy. We want our ability to withstand tempation to require little effort. We want the Holy Spirit to do the work and God to protect us from too much stress and strain. Thankfully, God does empower us through his Holy Spirit. However, he does remind us that for the Spirit to work powerfully in our lives, we must intentionally submit our wills to God and we must resist the devil. If we will put up a fight against him and his temptations, he will flee from us. Let's do our part, trusting that God will more than uphold his promises!
Father, thank you for your presence and power in me through your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the Scriptures which reveal to me your will. Now, dear Father, I gladly submit my will to yours, asking you to do your will in me. Please use your people and your Spirit to motivate and inspire me to resist the devil and recognize his attempts to derail my commitment to you. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
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—James 4:7 (KJV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Let's admit it. Most of us would like for spiritual growth to be easy. We want our ability to withstand tempation to require little effort. We want the Holy Spirit to do the work and God to protect us from too much stress and strain. Thankfully, God does empower us through his Holy Spirit. However, he does remind us that for the Spirit to work powerfully in our lives, we must intentionally submit our wills to God and we must resist the devil. If we will put up a fight against him and his temptations, he will flee from us. Let's do our part, trusting that God will more than uphold his promises!
My Prayer...
Father, thank you for your presence and power in me through your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the Scriptures which reveal to me your will. Now, dear Father, I gladly submit my will to yours, asking you to do your will in me. Please use your people and your Spirit to motivate and inspire me to resist the devil and recognize his attempts to derail my commitment to you. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Continue reading...
