Thoughts for another day

October 13, 2011

Today's verse: Jas 4:7, 8a. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.  (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Outside a church premise was a poster, 'Inside this building, find the strength to fight the devils outside!'   The phrase as it is, probably doesn't make a great deal of sense, for merely going inside the church building will not allow us to fight the evil we face or be able to also quash temptations.   But the exchange of the Word within the building causes the change and makes a person strong enough to withstand the wile ways of satan. 

James in his letter provides a very sensible way in which we can avoid the contagion of the god of the world and that is to submit to God.  In submitting to Him, we get the energy to resist the devil and in a way refute his arguments that make us sin.  When we're able to do this, he realizes there's no way he can make us sin and so for a season, he moves away from us, just as he went away from Jesus after tempting Him three times. 

James also tells us to come closer to God.  I find that praying is the best possible way to come closer to God.  One may not know how to pray; one may not even know how to come closer to God for it's a relationship that allows us to be filled with His Spirit and which relationship we don't have.  There may be many other things that we don't know to come closer to God, but we all know how to sit and we all know how to read.  So we sit in a place of quiet and read His Word.  We also praise Him by simply saying Hallelujah repeating it again and again slowly and also use terms like, I praise You Lord, God I worship You, and so on.  The relationship then is formed and when you're in a relationship with God, you'll also realize that although you didn't do anything much, apart from a few of the basics, God has drawn near to you and makes you His abode for He is a God who yearns to be with us.  So this day, open the door of your heart, just pray and tell Him to come inside.  He will come for He is faithful to His Word and He will reward you, for that is His nature.