James 4:7-8
James 4:7-8
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
___________________
Yesterday I talked about healing, but what about all those can’t-be-controlled circumstances, like the death of a loved one, loss of a job or home, or even a natural disaster? How could we possibly be responsible for those kinds of circumstances?
It’s true that sin is all around us. We live in a fallen world, and Satan will take advantage of whomever he can. He’s a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The Bible says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). But you don’t have to set yourself up as a target through isolation, sin, wrong confession, and wrong beliefs. When you do get hit, you can resist the enemy. You don’t have to receive everything he throws your way.
1) Isolation. I’ve learned through painful experience that the best way to avoid Satan’s attacks is not to make yourself an open target by isolating yourself from other believers. Think about it. In a flock of sheep, which ones get picked off by the wolves and coyotes? The stragglers, the ones that get separated from the flock. So, if you’re a “Lone Ranger” Christian, out there on your own without a church family, you can expect to get picked off by Satan.
2) Sin. If you’re practicing sin or consciously disobeying what God has told you to do, you WILL get hit. One of the most common forms of disobedience is unforgiveness. It’s easy to ignore or excuse, but it’s spiritually deadly because it removes your spiritual protection and leaves you an open target for the enemy. And Satan won’t always hit YOU. He might hit your children instead, if that’s where he can hurt you the worst. Another easy way to fall into disobedience is by walking in strife instead of walking in love.
3) Wrong Confession. You also open yourself up to trouble if you are constantly confessing and expecting negative things. Satan doesn’t even need to attack you, you’ve already attacked yourself. What you confess is what you’ll begin seeing in your life. Make a point of listening to yourself closely for an entire day. I’ve been trying to lose the same 15-20 pounds for two years. Every time I look in the mirror or my clothes get a little tight, I say, “I am so fat!! I hate being fat! I want my old clothes to fit again.” Just this week, the Lord made me aware that I needed to confess the results I wanted, not the bad circumstance I’m in. Now I confess that I eat only what my body needs for nourishment, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and that the excess fat is melting off my body every day.
4) Wrong Beliefs. For years, I believed it was more spiritual to be poor and suffering than prosperous and walking in victory. That was the major contributor to most of the problems I went through. But we serve a God of grace and mercy who can even turn our stupidest mistakes into blessings.
When you do get hit, how do you resist the enemy? Just like Jesus did: by confessing the Word out loud: That you are more than a conqueror, that no weapon formed against you will prosper, that the Lord delivers you out of all your afflictions and supplies all your needs according to His riches in glory. In your time of need, open the Bible and ask the Lord to give you a scripture to hang onto until the storm is past. I could not have survived all the trials I’ve been through over the past 3 years without the power of His word.
Cathleen
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
___________________
Yesterday I talked about healing, but what about all those can’t-be-controlled circumstances, like the death of a loved one, loss of a job or home, or even a natural disaster? How could we possibly be responsible for those kinds of circumstances?
It’s true that sin is all around us. We live in a fallen world, and Satan will take advantage of whomever he can. He’s a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The Bible says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). But you don’t have to set yourself up as a target through isolation, sin, wrong confession, and wrong beliefs. When you do get hit, you can resist the enemy. You don’t have to receive everything he throws your way.
1) Isolation. I’ve learned through painful experience that the best way to avoid Satan’s attacks is not to make yourself an open target by isolating yourself from other believers. Think about it. In a flock of sheep, which ones get picked off by the wolves and coyotes? The stragglers, the ones that get separated from the flock. So, if you’re a “Lone Ranger” Christian, out there on your own without a church family, you can expect to get picked off by Satan.
2) Sin. If you’re practicing sin or consciously disobeying what God has told you to do, you WILL get hit. One of the most common forms of disobedience is unforgiveness. It’s easy to ignore or excuse, but it’s spiritually deadly because it removes your spiritual protection and leaves you an open target for the enemy. And Satan won’t always hit YOU. He might hit your children instead, if that’s where he can hurt you the worst. Another easy way to fall into disobedience is by walking in strife instead of walking in love.
3) Wrong Confession. You also open yourself up to trouble if you are constantly confessing and expecting negative things. Satan doesn’t even need to attack you, you’ve already attacked yourself. What you confess is what you’ll begin seeing in your life. Make a point of listening to yourself closely for an entire day. I’ve been trying to lose the same 15-20 pounds for two years. Every time I look in the mirror or my clothes get a little tight, I say, “I am so fat!! I hate being fat! I want my old clothes to fit again.” Just this week, the Lord made me aware that I needed to confess the results I wanted, not the bad circumstance I’m in. Now I confess that I eat only what my body needs for nourishment, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and that the excess fat is melting off my body every day.
4) Wrong Beliefs. For years, I believed it was more spiritual to be poor and suffering than prosperous and walking in victory. That was the major contributor to most of the problems I went through. But we serve a God of grace and mercy who can even turn our stupidest mistakes into blessings.
When you do get hit, how do you resist the enemy? Just like Jesus did: by confessing the Word out loud: That you are more than a conqueror, that no weapon formed against you will prosper, that the Lord delivers you out of all your afflictions and supplies all your needs according to His riches in glory. In your time of need, open the Bible and ask the Lord to give you a scripture to hang onto until the storm is past. I could not have survived all the trials I’ve been through over the past 3 years without the power of His word.
Cathleen
posted by BreadBakers at 12:10 PM
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