Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
Attitude
Daily Devotion – October 2, 2018
Devotion based on James 4:7
See series: Devotions
Evangelist Barry McGee shares the story of a woman by the name of Lexy Fowler. Lexy was a sheep rancher in Montana, and she had a problem. Her problem was coyotes.
Coyotes were killing her sheep, and not just one here and there. She was losing scores of sheep every year. She had tried all kinds of things to stop them. She’d tried odor sprays, electric fences, and battery-operated radios. She’d corralled them at night and herded them by day. Nothing seemed to work.
But then, Lexy Fowler discovered what other sheep ranchers in the West have discovered. She discovered the llama.
As it turns out, the llama has a real attitude whenever it sees a coyote. It recognizes the coyote for the deadly threat that it is. At the first sight of a coyote, the llama gets aggressive. It assumes a certain posture. It makes a certain sound. It stares the coyote down and even spits. And if the coyote hasn’t gotten the message by then, the llama will walk straight toward it. “[Coyotes] won’t have anything to do with that,” said Lexy Fowler. “Coyotes are opportunists, and llamas take that opportunity away.”
The attitude of the llama changed everything for Lexy Fowler. Whenever the coyotes encountered one of her llamas, the coyotes fled.
The attitude of the llama is a vivid reminder for you and me. The devil is real, and his mission is clear. When the devil approaches us with sinful temptations, he is not playing some half-hearted game for his own amusement. He is playing for keeps. Ever and always it is the devil’s ultimate goal to separate us from our Savior Jesus.
“Resist the devil,” God tells us in his word. Do not tolerate him. Do not make peace with him. Do not pretend you can share the same space. Resist him. Recognize him for what he is. Stand firm in the full forgiveness and new life Jesus has purchased for you at the cross.
When you do, the devil will flee. But remember—he will flee not because of your attitude in and of itself. He will flee because of the One who gives you reason for that attitude. He will flee because of Jesus Christ.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the devil prowls around me every day. When he comes, empower me by your Spirit to resist him. Remind me that he will flee. And remind me how terrified he is of you. Amen.
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