I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 26th of December, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go straight to the book of James 4:7-8:

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

Today, we are faced with choices. Are we going to persist and listen to the lies of the devil, or are we going to believe the promises of God spoken over us? The devil says: "You'll never make it. He says, "You are the same as your father. He was an alcoholic, and you'll be one as well." The devil says: "There's no hope for you. People have said you're a waster, and that's what you are." That's how the devil talks, but Jesus says: "You are more than a conqueror." Jesus says, "You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you." Philippians 4:13 

The devil tells you that you'll never shake that habit. Jesus says: 

"... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 

We need to resist the devil. We can't say, "Well, that's just how it is..." It's not folks! We weren't born like that; all of us were born the same. We need to start to draw near to God. He has promised He will draw near to us. 

I heard a story about that old plumber from Yorkshire, Smith Wigglesworth - He was visiting a farm in South Africa in the old days. In the middle of the night, he heard a groaning in the corner of his bedroom. He reached out for a candle, struck it, and held it out. There, he saw the most grotesque picture of a growling demon. He looked at the demon and said: "Oh, it's only you!" He blew the candle out and went back to sleep!

You can deal with the devil - he is a liar, a thief and a bully. There's nothing good in him. By the way, he is a coward, so the Lord says, resist him, and he will flee from you! 

Have a wonderful day. God bless you, and goodbye.