James 4:7-8 CSB | Trey VanCamp | October 22, 2023
View All TeachingsView Full Series
OVERVIEW
When most of us think of resisting the devil, we might imagine something like demonic possession, exorcism, or a dramatic and visible display of blatant evil. But the devil’s influence in the world is more subtle than that. Throughout the scriptures, Satan’s primary tactic isn’t force, it’s deception.
From the beginning of time, Satan has used lies to distort God’s truth, turn people away from the way of Jesus, and live according to the world and flesh. And if we’re not aware of his tactics today, we can unknowingly give in to these lies as well. But James 4 promises us that the more we learn to resist the devil, the more we can find freedom through Christ from Satan’s deception.
NOTES
You can take interactive notes here. At the end of the message, you can email the notes to yourself.
TRANSCRIPT
COMING SOON
Group Guide
Looking for community? Join a Together Group!
Meal & Conversation
Open the night with a quick prayer over your time together. As your Group shares a meal, use one or both of these questions to check in with everyone:
- What’s one thing you’re looking forward to the most this week?
- What’s one thing you’re least looking forward to this week?
Overview of Teaching
When most of us think of resisting the devil, we might imagine something like demonic possession, exorcism, or a dramatic and visible display of blatant evil. But the devil’s influence in the world is more subtle than that. Throughout the scriptures, Satan’s primary tactic isn’t force, it’s deception. From the beginning of time, Satan has used lies to distort God’s truth, turn people away from the way of Jesus, and live according to the world and flesh. And if we’re not aware of his tactics today, we can unknowingly give in to these lies as well. But James 4 promises us that the more we learn to resist the devil, the more we can find freedom through Christ from Satan’s deception.
Discussion
Read 1 Peter 5:6-9 and James 4:7-8, then discuss the following questions:
- How often do you think about the devil being influencing your life and the world around you? What difficulty do you have believing that the devil is real and active?
- After reading these passages, where do you see the devil influencing the world around you?
- On Sunday, we learned that the devil influences us most by playing to our arrogance and anxiety. Where do you see both of these play out in your own life?
- What’s one influential lie that the devil has been using against you as you reflect on this passage and the teaching from this week? Think about lies you might believe about God, yourself, others, or the scriptures.
- Do you currently feel like God is near or far to you? What’s one next step God might be inviting you to take from this scripture and this teaching?
Practice
One of the best ways to resist the lies of the devil is to get familiar with the truth. This week, revisit and refine your practice of reading scripture. To recap, the four practices of scripture reading were:
- Memorization
- Meditation
- Large portions at once
- Study
Consider trying one of these practices you’ve neglected, beginning a new reading plan, or just spending time in the scriptures every day this next week. Have everyone in the Group answer the following question:
- What would success look like for you as you begin, revisit, or refine your practice of scripture this next week?
Pray
As you end your night, spend some time praying for and encouraging one another.