"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:7-10 NKJV
Submit
When we resist the devil in Jesus' Name, he must flee from us. However, there is more to do than this. Firstly, we need to submit to God. In other words, we need to place ourselves under His care and direction. Some people find it difficult to submit to anyone, let alone God. But, to refuse to submit demonstrates a 'proud spirit'. To be proud in this way shows rebellion, selfishness, the act of being puffed up and that you are better than the others.
Lucifer became this, (Isaiah 14:12-21). He became proud and wanted what God had. It brought him to his downfall. Now Satan is hell-bound, together with his demons dreading the day that Jesus returns.
Draw near
To draw near is a phrase used in the Old Testament describing the Levitical priests approaching God with their sacrifices, (Exodus 19:22) hence, when God's people draw near to Him in worship, He will always draw near to them in response. (Zechariah 1:3).
Lament, mourn and weep
In verse 9, James writes that we should lament, mourn and weep about our sin. When we sin we often have a great awareness of it - a heaviness that won't go away and creates, guilt and remorse. This is conviction and the feeling can be horrid. This is the time we need to draw near to God and confess this, seeking His forgiveness. When we do, He in return will draw near to us and totally forgive us. (1 John 1:9). We all have times such as this, you are not the only one. Check out verse 10: Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
He is a forgiving, loving God who longs to give us His best. Just reach out to Him and receive all that he has for you. You will never regret it.
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
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