James 3:7-10
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
In the midst of trail and temptation a person may be tempted to turn inward. Why would anyone do that? Such a person may hope to find a deeper sense of strength and character within. This is a popular theme in entertainment and culture.
However, this isn’t what God’s Word teaches. God’s Word teaches that we need much more that our strength and will power to overcome the assaults of the evil one. We need the Lord.
God directs us to fight temptation in this way. First, submit yourself to God. Faith in God and trust in His will, strength, and guidance is the only way to overcome evil. Second, we are called to resist the devil through faith. The devil, sensing that it is God who is resisting within us, will cause that devil to flee. Jesus broke the power of evil through His death on the cross for your forgiveness and His resurrection for your eternal life. That is why the devil will flee from you. Then, in Jesus’ victory, we are called to the life of repentance. Winning one battle of temptation in our life doesn’t win the war. The life of repentance, mourning over our sin, and trusting in Jesus, will lead to the eternal victory, to being exalted by the Lord at the resurrection.
So if, the midst of trail and temptation you tempted to turn inward, remember God’s Word. Submit yourself to the Lord. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Live each day in repentance and your new life through faith. Humble yourself before God, and He will exalt you.
Let us pray,
I thank you Lord Jesus for winning the victory for me through faithful life, death on the cross, and glorious resurrection from the dead. Help me to to live in repentant faith and humility and look forward to your victories in my life today and the joy of the resurrection. In your name I pray, AMEN
The Collect for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost
O God, whose strength is made perfect in weakness, grant us humility and childlike faith that we may please you in both will and deed; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.