Spiritual Warfare

        James 4:8(a)

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you ... "

    Its so simple yet it requires a lot of discipline, and it is something I need to be reminded of daily. It is so important to constantly be drawing near to Him and the importance is stressed in the verse right before this one, verse 7, which says "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." I have been attacked from just about every angle since being here. The devil does not like the work that the Lord is doing through Potters Field here on the Reservation, and he is using any distraction he can to deter my team mates and I from keeping our focus on why we are here.  Anytime one of these attacks comes, I have to shift my focus back onto God and remember that He is in control and theres no reason to be afraid. Our pastor here preached on a message last night out of John 6 where Jesus walks on water and the story reminds me of how to handle these attacks. The disciples were afraid when they saw a figure walking on water in the midst of the storm, but Jesus said, "It is I ; do not be afraid". The disciples then recieved Him into the boat and immedeatly they were on land. Though the devil attacks us, and we feel like we are in the midst of a storm, Jesus is there, walking beside us and there is no reason for us to be afraid. If we accept that He is in control of the situation, that fear and heaviness will be lifted from our shoulders and we will 'hit land'.  As soon as I surrendered all control to Jesus over the situations that the devil has used to attack me , my joy and peace have been restored. Fear is not of God. It is one of the distractions the devil uses to distract us from keeping our focus on the Lord and hinder us from carrying out God's will and perfect plan for our lives. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

    There are many ways in which we draw near to God. One is staying in His Word night and day. Since being here I have been getting into the habit of reading and studying His Word every morning and every night. Its not just about reading the Bible, but opening our hearts and allowing Him to speak to us in that time. He has spoken to me in multiple ways, and I am always able to shift my focus back on Him and not allow to devil to gain a foothold in my life. Another way to draw near to Him is through prayer. Prayer is our communication with the Lord and it is so important for us to have that constant contact with Him. Its not something we should do once in a while, but a daily, everyday thing. Anytime an attack comes, I have to remember to stop and pray and shift my focus back on Him. My team and I have prayer every night, but its also important to have that personal alone time between God and I.  I will be honest, even though I know the importance of doing this I have been lacking in my personal prayer time with Him. We also draw near to Him through attending church and hearing the Word, worshipping Him, serving Him and others, witnessing to others, surounding ourselves with other believers ..etc.

Application :

    As I said I have been lacking in my personal prayer time with the Lord and don't feel like I am in communication with Him enough. Starting today, I will pray every morning and every night on my own, when I am studying and reading His Word.