Tuesday July 22 – Draw near to God

Come and worship

Thank God that His will is perfect. He will draw near to us when we draw near to Him.

Know that ‘God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with

the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.’

1 Cor 10:13

Meditate on His word James 4:7-10

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. James 4:7-8a

Submitting ourselves to God calls us to subject our will to his control. We can submit

ourselves to the Lord only when we recognize that he is greater and worthy of more

honor than we. Verse 7 uses the word ‘resist’ which is a military term that does not

mean to flee; but to stand your ground against the attacks of the enemy. When we

refuse to surrender to the impulse of sin, we resist the devil. A sub-culture exists in our

communities that, because they do not know Jesus, cannot resist the enemy and idolatry

and addiction are prominent. This is often seen as substance abuse; but can also be

anything that takes the place of God in our lives.

Reflect and give thanks

That God promises the devil will flee from us when we resist. Because of Jesus’

resistance to Satan while in the wilderness in Matthew 4, he had no foothold in his life

and he eventually fled. When Jesus left us, He sent the Holy Spirit to bear witness about

Himself, promising that the Helper will teach us in all things and bring us to remembrance

of Jesus’ teachings. Johnn 15:26 and John 14:26

Ask God

To deepen your knowledge of Him and to learn greater and more fully his strength, power

and guidance for godly living. Pray that the bonds of idolatry and addiction would be

broken in our communities. If you have a problem with addiction, pray that He will free

you from that addiction and direct your focus fully on Him.

Tags: 2014 Summer of Prayer