Thursday, April 20, 2017

April 20 Thought for the day...how to not have God fight you


I have had many talk to me about the attacks of the enemy. Yes, he does attack, but as children of God, he has no authority to win. What the enemy does do well, is deceive, if he can get a Christian to allow their pride, arrogance, selfishness, or other things to rise up, then God has no choice but to stand against us (many people blame the devil, but it is we who have to accept blame)

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

James was running into a problem. Some in the church had decided they wanted to do things their own way rather than submitting to their leadership and God. They did it in such a way as to appear holy and righteous but were deceived, they were Christian but still deceived. Because of James love for the people, the Lord gave him this directive.

The word for "opposes" is not simply the idea of one person standing against another. The Greek word here is a military term referring to an entire company standing against an opposition, preparing to crush them. When we allow pride to enter our lives, especially as Christians, God loves us enough to arrange events that will return us to a humble heart.

Speaking of "humble" the meaning behind this word is that someone was once prideful, realized the error of their ways and has fully repented and is walking in a way that allows God to make them a recipient of grace. They are now able to avoid the discipline of the Lord because of their submission to Him. While we are talking about submission, in context, it generally means a purposeful willingness to surrender as an act of your will (to God).

The discipline of the Lord is as real today as it was 2000 years ago. Many think they can dismiss it because we are in an age of grace. For a Christian to willingly choose to arrogantly stand against God, His Word or the authority that God has placed in their lives is to place yourself in a direct battle with God. Ask the Lord if you are doing this in any area of your life. If you are, choose to humble yourself and rest in God's grace. A person who has no authority over their life will have no authority in their life. God has called us all to function in power and authority, but if we find ourselves in a fight with God, He loves us enough to make us lose every time and come back to Him!

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