“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
The devil doesn’t want us to thrive in faith and live prosperously. He will do anything in his will to keep us away from God. And because Satan knows that we will help in the advancement of God’s kingdom, he will lure us to sin and undermine our faith in Jesus. Our real enemy is not our flesh and blood, but the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)
Our faith will be strengthened by resisting the enemy and submitting ourselves to God. To resist the devil, we must do three things: flee from lust, avoid bad company, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Pray to flee from lust
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5
Our idols in life take the position of God in our hearts. We become lustful in our eyes and flesh. We have the deep urge to satisfy our desires. But God says that we must flee from all these immoralities. He knows that we will be tempted in this life, but He made sure that we can resist them.
Father God, thank You because You provide a way out when I am tempted to sin. Please help me flee from everything that will cause me to sin. Help me flee from the lust that will drive me to have idols in my life. You are my Master, and I should only be living for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Pray to avoid bad company
“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God-I say this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
When we spend a lot of time with people who are bad influences, sooner or later, we will also live the same way they do. We may not realize it now, but these people will influence how we think about God and how we behave. Try putting a rotten fruit in a basket of fresh ones, and observe how every fruit will rot because of just one rotten fruit.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the lives of people around me. Please help me have proper discernment. Help me know who will influence me to grow more in love with Jesus and who will just cause me to stumble. I pray that I will be a blessing to others instead of me being influenced by their lifestyle. Please bless me with people who will help me grow spiritually. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6
The Holy Spirit enables us to live the Christian life. It allows us to obey God and His commands. It works within us and makes us do things that please Him. The person who is controlled by the Spirit will not follow the desires of his flesh and will be rewarded with abundant life and peace.
Lord, I pray to be filled with Your Holy Spirit. I pray to walk in obedience to Your desires and act according to Your will. I cannot navigate this life alone. It is through Your Spirit that I can be able to. Father, help me yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.