Day 36 of the Forty Days of Prayer of the MoSt Church (February 6, 2011)

James 4:1-7 (NLT)
(1) What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?  Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?  (2) You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it.  You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.  Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it (3) And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong — you want only what will give you pleasure.  (4) You adulterers!  Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  I say it again:  If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.  (5) What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?  (6) But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires.  As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”  (7) So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Meditation Thought:  Am I willing to partner with the world at the expense of my relationship with God?  Do I really want to be “an enemy of God” (v. 4)

Prayer:  God, this is such a hard thought for me.  So much of my life is spent cultivating relationships that will fulfill my own personal needs.  And God, when I read this passage, I wonder if I am “cheating on You” as I flirt with the world.  God, help me never partner with the world at Your expense!  James tells me that You favor the humble, so God, I humble myself before You, and declare that YOU ARE ALL I NEED.  Give me favor today, God, and help me understand that any time I can ever do without you is prideful and insulting to You.  YOU ARE ALL I NEED.  Help me to pray this prayer all day today!