Week #33 - 2-Minute Devotional w/ Ann Calvillo

Join Ann Calvillo for a powerful two-minute devotional as she delves into the Book of James, specifically focusing on James chapter 4. Ann discusses the internal battles we face and the importance of humbling ourselves, submitting to God, and resisting the devil. Through this teaching, learn how grace empowers us to live according to God's will and how to overcome the desires that wage war within us. This episode is a compelling reminder to let the life of Christ flow through us by yielding to the Holy Spirit.

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hey everyone, my name is AnnCalvillo and I'm doing the
wrong, the strong two minutedevotional.
I just wanted to give a briefdevotion on the book of James.
Just to give a little bit ofcontext, James is writing to
the, Christian Jewish believersand, he's.
Basically giving them wisdom forliving, right?

(00:24):
So I love the way this book isjust set out.
It's all about faith in action.
And so I do wanna talk about,just dive into James four and
James four.
One talks about, jamesaddressing the church.
He's saying to them, he's Hey,what's causing these quarrels
and these fights among you, mybrethren?
He says here, don't they comefrom the evil desires at war

(00:47):
within you?
How many of you know that thereis a war within, right?
We're not talking about thespiritual warfare that we face.
That's discussed in Ephesianssix.
We're talking about the warwithin ourselves, and here we're
gonna learn a little bit more.
So it says here, you want whatyou don't have, so you scheme.

(01:09):
And kill to get it.
You are jealous of what othershave, but you can't get it.
So you fight and wage war totake it away from them.
Yet you don't have what you wantbecause you don't ask God for
it.
And even when you ask, you don'tget it because your motives are
all wrong.
You only want what will give youpleasure.

(01:32):
And so then later on, james goeson to say in James four seven,
he says, humble yourselves.
In other versions, in othertranslations, it says, submit to
God, resist the devil, and hewill flee from you.
And so here we are.
We are listening to James tellthe church that they need to

(01:55):
submit to God.
See, we need to learn how tohumble ourselves, right?
Because the word of God alsotells us in James that God
opposes the proud, but he givesgrace to the humble and grace.
Grace isn't just a free pass.
No, grace is not passive.
Grace is powerful.
Grace teaches us to say no toungodliness and so Grace allows

(02:19):
us and enables us, and empowersus to live the life.
According to God's will.
According to God's ways.
And so when we submit to Godthere's two things happening,
right?
There's this paradox where weare dying to self, yet we are
living in Christ.
Dying to self living in Christand the life of Christ is just

(02:42):
flowing through us right throughHis Holy Spirit.
His Holy Spirit is sanctifyingus through and through until the
day we go and be with our Lord.
And that's where we have toyield to the work of the Holy
Spirit and not give into thesedesires that war within us, that
desire to have us.

(03:03):
Just like we read about that inGenesis with Cain when sin was
crouching at his door and he wasjust desiring to have him,
right?
But we now have the holy.
Spirit that is able to give usself-control when temptation
comes.
And so here James is saying,submit to God, humble
yourselves, resist the devilthere's a fight going on when we

(03:23):
resist, right?
There's a struggle going on.
There is a combat happening.
When we resist the devil.
And so in that.
We resist the devil and he willflee.
He's gotta flee our families.
He's gotta flee our marriages,he's gotta flee our schools.
So I just wanna share that withyou.
My name is Ann Calvillo and I amwrong to strong.

(03:45):
Okay.