I know that I have been quite harsh up to this point but please know that it is done out of love for each and every one of you. My heart has been broken over our condition. It can be easily seen how the apostles felt when they saw the churches fall away from their teaching, knowing that what they taught was from the Saviors mouth. If I feel the way I do, I can imagine the sorrow that our Father must feel. He gave us a glimpse of the joy He feels when we return to Him in the parable of the prodigal son. In the parable we see the one necessary ingredient to be reunited with the father. It is the same thing that God expects from us and the lack of it is what keeps us from having victory in our churches. The lack of it is what caused Satan’s fall from heaven and is what has continually plagued man ever since; for without it we esteem ourselves better than others. It was the very essence of Christ’s ministry while here on earth and the center of His teaching and while the apostles struggled with it during His ministry they exemplified it after His resurrection. Take a look with me at 2 Chronicles 7:14-16;
If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there for ever: and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually.
We have several request made here by God as well as promises to us for obedience to Him.
While this was spoken to Solomon in the Old Testament there are many promises held in here for us as well today. As we go through these verses we will see how it relates to us. We will also go to the New Testament where we will find the same command given to the New Testament church. As we begin here we notice that He starts of with the word “My”; we are His. As a child of God we have been bought and paid for by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our value is above our own comprehension and just as we may have a possession that we value highly, so we are to our heavenly Father. This not only applies to those who are saved now but to all those who will put their trust in Christ for we are told that He is willing that none should perish but that all should come to righteousness. We are not only His valued property but we are His precious property because we are called by His name. His name is highly exalted above every name and we know this because we are told that by the Name of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. There will be no one left out on this. There is no one more exalted than He for He is the beginning and the end. How wonderful it is to know that we are called by such a name; to be counted worthy of such a heritage that we have a Father who is worthy of such praise and just as we are concerned for our earthly name we should be far more concerned about our heavenly Father’s name.
We are then told that if we would humble ourselves and this is where the problem lies. We have no problem with praying or seeking His face but we do have a problem with being humble. It goes against our very nature because it has been instilled in us to be proud. Our parents are quick to point out that certain people are beneath us and not worthy of our time. The world glorifies those who have athletic abilities or who have great intelligence and we fall right into the trap. Notice that God required all three of these to hear our prayers. He required first that we were humble ourselves; next we were to pray and then we were to seek His face. All three of these are necessary to be able to have communion with Him, yet there is a fourth requirement that will keep Him from hearing us and that is that we are to turn from our wicked ways. This is how Satan has been able to control the church for so long; he has convinced us that it is enough to just be in the house of the Lord.
If that was all God wanted from us He wouldn’t have said these very things. He says these things because He knows Satan’s tricks. He knows that he will attempt to lead us astray with pride, with a lack of communication with the Father, and with little sins that keep us sidetracked and end up as Satan’s ammunition to disqualify us from service to God. Yet God promises us that if we follow His request that He will heal our land; He will heal the problems in our homes and families. He tells us that His eyes and ears are open to these prayers. He knows our hearts so we cannot fool Him even though we may fool our pastor or our spouses.
In the next verse He mentions the temple and the promise we have from Christ is that our bodies are now His temple therefore the prayers we have when we go before Him with a broken and contrite heart we know that we will have His eyes and ears. Look at verse 16 again.
For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there for ever: and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually.
We have a glorious promise here and even more of a reason to submit ourselves to Christ. We have this promise again in John chapter 15 verse 16; where we are told that we are chosen by Christ and in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit; it is by these that we hold to the promise of this verse and if this be the truth than how can we continue in our own selfish desires if we are truly His children?
With this now being the question; how can we then gain victory over Satan in the church? Not everyone is going to see things this way because many of us have been blinded by our own delusions. Since we have given into the wiles of the devil and God has given us over to our lust, how can we gain victory? Look now at James chapter 4.
Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Jas 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
If your heart is not right with God there will be no way that you will understand these verses, even though I will attempt with God’s directing to explain them; so if you have read this far and do not understand what is being stated please stop reading and seek God in prayer for understanding.
The war that James is speaking of here is the spiritual battle going on within us and the body of Christ. When we are at battle it not only affects us but the entire body of Christ for when we lose in an area of our life that area becomes a source of irritation with others, when we give into greed than all those who have become a source of irritation because they have what we don’t. The same is true when we give into pride and allow it to control us; we butt heads with those who are in leadership positions because we feel as if we know better than they do. This is not the same as one who takes a stand on beliefs that are supported in scripture. The way to tell the difference is that it is not them or their organization, but God who stands to be glorified. Notice that what we ask for is affected by the giving into Satan because we ask for things that are for ourselves and not for glorifying God.
The next thing we see is that our relationships are affected. James uses the term adulterer and adulteress here. He is not referring to sexual sins but unholy unions between us and the world. It is the cultivation of these relationships that continue to draw us away from God. The purpose of these relationships was not to draw them to God but to further our own goals and desires. As we look further we are going to see the plan that God has for victory in our lives and our churches.
Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
There it is in black and white; submit yourselves therefore to God. There can be no victory without submission to God. The next step is just as simple; Resist the devil. And he will flee from you. This does not mean only lip action; it means a conscious decision to resist him. I can’t have victory over alcohol if I am continually in a bar nor can I have victory over Satan if I am continually putting myself into his care.
In verse 8 we are told to draw nigh to God; this can only be done by being in His word continually. Victory comes with a price tag attached to it and that price is sacrifice. It is sacrifice of your time and desires to Him. James tells us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts because from the heart comes that which defiles a man. You cannot love the things of God and the things of the world for you love one and hate the other. The world will always come before God when this is your thinking. Notice how James finishes this up in verse 10; humble your self before God.
Beloved; if we are going to defeat Satan we are going to have to get on our knees; we are going to have to humble ourselves before God with a broken and contrite heart. We are going to have to put away the things of the world and start seeking His face. We need change our thinking from them to Him and remember that He sees everything; there is nothing hidden from Him. We are His chosen people who are called by HIS name and frankly I am embarrassed about the way I have blasphemed His name in the past. I am heart broken over our dragging His name through the mud in our communities and in the work place. It is time people; it is time we throw Satan out and reclaim the power that God has given us. It is time that;
… My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
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