Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 78 – James 4:7-10 – Draw Near To God And He Will Draw Near To You – Growing As Disciples
Submit yourselves therefore 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. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:7-10 (ESV)
Humbly Draw Near
Thank you, Lord, that I can draw near to you. Thank you, Lord, that you draw near to me. As a humble act of submission, I will make it my regular and frequent practice to draw near to you. How often will you draw near to me? I will certainly draw near to you every day. But I am certain that I will need to draw near to you far more frequently than just every day. Why is that? I desperately need your help. I certainly need your wisdom. I definitely need your protection. So, I can envision drawing near to you through the moments of my day. That will be very good.
What happens to you when you humbly draw near to me? When I humbly draw near to you, I am submitting myself to you. I am asking for your help. I am coming to rely on you. I am placing all my trust in you rather than in myself. I am making myself fully available to you. I am withdrawing from the world and entering into your presence. I am listening to your voice. I am focusing my heart and mind and life on you. I am making myself available to receive your instruction and follow your guidance. I am turning away from my own thoughts to seek your thoughts. I am waiting in solitude and silence before you so that you can guard and guide my life. That is very good.
What have I done for you as you have humbly drawn near to me? When I have humbly drawn near to you, you have drawn near to me. You have filled me with your peace. You have removed my heart and mind and life from the storm of evil thoughts, opinions, values and circumstances that have swirled around me, that have sought to entrap me. You have caused the devil to flee from me. You have reordered and reprioritized my perspective. You have refocused my heart and mind and life on you. You have helped me once again to place all my hope and trust on you. You have set my feet back on a firm foundation. You have made me able to see, once again, how to live and walk and move forward with you on the path of life. Yes, I have done all these things for you. Will you keep on submitting yourself to me by drawing near to me? Will you make humbly drawing near to me your ongoing moment by moment strategy to resist evil in all its forms? Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.
Lord, I will draw near to you. I know you will draw near to me. Help me to resist the devil so he will flee from me. Guard my heart and mind and life from his attacks. Help me to think your thoughts, speak your words and do your deeds as I follow and serve you. Amen
Key Question… How has God changed your thoughts, words and actions as you have humbly drawn near to Him?
Living It Out… Humbly submit yourself to God by drawing near to Him, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that as you humbly submit yourself to God by drawing near to Him, the devil and his evil will flee from you.
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how you have been humbly drawing near to God and resisting the devil.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you humbly draw near to God and resist the devil so he will flee from you.
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