OPEN HEAVEN 2 NOVEMBER 2021 MEMORIZE: Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
READ: James 4:7-10 (KJV)
7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Submission to the perfect will of God is a great weapon against trials and temptations. It is wisdom for us to submit to our Present Help in the time of trouble, according to Psalm 46:1, our closest ally in the battle of life is Jesus Christ. The Bible says: For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. – (1 John 5:4-5) For us to overcome, we must submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and then he will flee from us (James 4:7). The Bible says that pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
Many people fall into temptation because of pride. Romans 13:3 says: For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. While pride makes people think they can survive this life without God, humility and sobriety are great instruments of defence in the face of temptations. We are encouraged to humble ourselves in the sight of God so that He can lift us.
However, people easily fall into trials and temptations because of their failure to live soberly in this perverse generation. James 1:14-15 says “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death”. The Bible goes further in (1 Timothy 6:9-10) to say: But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil… Beloved, to overcome trials and temptations, you must run to Jesus today with a sober heart, humility and the fear of the Lord. He will surely come to your aid, in the name of Jesus.
ACTION POINT:
Examine your life carefully to see where and how you may have exposed yourself to temptations, ask for God’s forgiveness and commit to living a sin-free life from now.
