Agreeing with God: Submission
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org
Today's Scripture
"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." James 4:7-8 NLT
Thoughts for Today
Agreeing with God means submitting to him. We cannot just read the Bible and say we agree with it. If we truly agree, we will obey. We will act on our faith. We will not walk in fear because we will know God is with us (Joshua 1:9). We will not lose hope because we will know we can do all things through Christ, who gives us the strength (Philippians 4:13). We will not give into temptation. Instead, we will submit to God's way.
God promises if we resist the devil and all his temptations, the devil will flee from us. It also says if we come close to God, our Father will come close to us.
Consider this …
These are wonderful promises, but let's not ignore the last sentence in today's scripture. To resist the devil and draw close to God, we must make a choice. Our loyalty cannot be divided between God and giving into the temptations around us. God must come first. We must agree with his Word. We must purify our hearts by seeking forgiveness in Christ when we fail. We must choose to obey him, trusting that he will give us the strength.
Prayer
Father, I do agree with your Word. Please help me to turn that agreement into action by submitting every area of my life completely to you. In Jesus' name . . .
These thoughts were drawn from … Stepping into Freedom: A Christ-Centered Twelve-Step Program by Jimmy Ray Lee, D.Min. This twelve-step program is suggested for use in support groups, recovery groups and home groups. It offers help for anyone struggling with a life-controlling problem like drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual addiction, gambling or workaholism. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
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