Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

When we give God our consistent and complete yes to God, it leads to supernatural success. Our yes aligns us with the will of God and where His will is, there is purpose. Where there’s purpose, there is success–a kind of success that is unstoppable, undeniable and indescribable. When we consistently say yes, we are given access to the limitless resources of the Kingdom–we tap into the overflow of Heaven.

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

James was strong and direct in his language when he says “Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.” These instructions are the recipe to a life that’s consecrated. To consecrate a thing is to dedicate or set apart for God’s exclusive use. It’s God’s desire that we would not be mixed in our own desires. “Dabbling in sin” describes a variety of experiences with an absence of commitment– it’s a yes that’s divided. Every time we say yes to God, it’s a decision to say no to something else. However, when we say yes to something that’s impure, we say no to God by default.

When James urges the believer to “Quit playing the field,” I’m reminded of romantic relationships where one or both parties have not fully committed to the relationship and are still looking into other possibilities. An example of this in the scriptures is found in the marriage of Hosea and Gomer. God instructed Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman who had a reputation and history filled with promiscuity. When they became married, her habits did not change, she stepped outside of the marriage. The law permitted Hosea to end the marriage through divorce, however he stayed and remained committed to her. This marriage is symbolic of God’s commitment to the people of Israel and even us today (Hosea 3:1-3). Although we have played the field over time, he has not withdrawn his commitment to us. This truth is not an excuse to explore, but an expression of the love that draws us to Him.

It’s important to know that giving God our yes is not a one and done ordeal. Saying yes is a decision and each day is filled with opportunities to say yes or no to God; it’s a decision we are presented with for the rest of our lives. Our yes is the cause of our consecration, it is the filter for our purification. When we say yes, we dedicate our lives for God’s exclusive use as “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21 NIV)

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

In our focus text, James makes an urgent call to the believer to leave the life of contradiction and embrace a life of consistency by saying no to the Devil and yes to God. In his letter, James cuts no corners because he’s challenging believers to walk maturely in the faith. It’s challenging to walk in God’s promises if we have one foot in His will and the other clearly outside. Therefore, James says to stop dabbling in sin and to purify our lives from within, not from without. It’s not enough to look the part, we must live the part.

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​

Lastly, I want you to know that a repentant heart is a productive heart. In Psalm 51:12-13, David says “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways so that sinners will turn back to you.” Something significant has happened here and we cannot allow this moment to slip by us. As David is writing this Psalm, he’s in a tough place emotionally; he pens these words through feelings of guilt and shame. If you’ve ever experienced either of those emotions, you know as well as I do how difficult they can be to shake, especially when it includes the lives of other. However, instead of laying in the stain of his failure, David chose to leverage the power of his testimony through his heart of repentance.

Join the lifestyle of Prayer 365: https://thryve.church/prayer365​