Continual Success

Below is the daily Bible reading I am doing for the West Side Church. Please feel free to follow along.

Today’s reading (James 3) strikes at the heart of what drives many followers of Christ to sin. I love what James writes when he says … “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” If we are going to overcome sin, it begins by drawing near to God.

The times in my life where I have been tempted the most, or have even succumbed to the temptations, are the times in my life where I have been the most distant from God. These times tend to be when life is going really well. These are times when I feel like I do not need to be leaning on God as much as I should. When this happens, a separation between me and God begins to form. With my guard down, that is when temptation sinks in.

The times in my life where I have fought temptation and have conquered it in a blaze of glory have been the times where I am walking hand in hand with God. It is during these times that I have put my full strength in him. I have seen this verse play itself out in my own life. As I draw near to God, he draws near to me. Being close to the father makes it easier to resist Satan. When we resist Satan enough, he will leave us alone, because he does not want to waist his time. It is when we pull away from God that he snatches the opportunity to lure us back into our weakness.

So what period of life are you going through today? Are you near to God or far away? My desire in my life is to be continually drawing near to God. I have not achieved constant success, but it is getting better with each passing day.