January 11, 2026
James 4:6–10 (NLT) 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
God wants to:
Pour out His Spirit on His Church.
Send Fire from Heaven upon His People.
Bring Revival and Awakening
We must Desire it, Expect it, Be Motivated to Continue after it.
We must Come Close to God (Draw near to God)
Come Close (NKJV: Draw Near) in Greek, ĕggizō, means,
to approach, to be at hand.
The devil makes it Difficult, Hard, to:
Come Close to God (Draw near to God)
James 4:7-8 (NLT) 7 So humble yourselves before God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
That is why we are to resist the Devil.
“Resist” in Greek (anthistēmi, anth-is´-tay-mee) means:
to stand firm against, to set oneself against, to oppose.
We must be intentionally resisting the devil.
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
We must not be afraid of the devil.
1 John 4:4 (NKJV) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Romans 8:31 (NLT) What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
The Devil uses Distractions:
That prevents us from being focused on Jesus.
The Devil uses Emotional burdens:
Worries, fears, family and marriage problems, financial problems.
They can dominate our minds.
They choke the word of God out.
Mark 4:18–19 (NIV) 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Don’t let the devil dominate your mind.
This will leave you unfruitful in your walk with God.
We must Come Close (Draw Near) to God,
to experience all that God has for us in 2026 and beyond.
God wants to:
Pour out His Spirit on His Church.
Send Fire from Heaven upon His People.
Bring Revival and Awakening
We must Desire it, Expect it, Be Motivated to Continue after it.
1. Come Close to God with your Heart:
Hosea 10:12 (NLT) I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts (break up your fallow ground), for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’
Hosea prophesied during a time when Israel was prospering, and there was political peace.
This gave the people a false sense of security in themselves.
So they turned away from God and followed their own desires.
This led them far away from God.
Because of God’s love for His people, He called them back to Him, if they would not Harden their hearts.
-Plow the Hard Ground,
-Planting Righteous seeds,
-Watering the seeds,
-Protecting the harvest from birds (the devil) eating the seeds, that they planted.
God wants …
-To Shower His righteous blessing on you.
-You to reap a harvest of His Love, Joy, Peace for you and your family.
-To bring in a harvest of souls that are Getting Saved, Delivered and Set Free.
God wants to …
-Pour out His Spirit on His Church.
-Send Fire from Heaven upon His People.
-Bring Revival and Awakening
We must Desire it, Expect it, Be Motivated to Continue after it.
Now is the Time to seek the Lord!
Now is Time for Revival:
… for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and
shower righteousness upon you.
We can’t let our Hearts get Hard:
We need our Heart to:
-Be Dependent on God if we are going to see the Revival God wants to bring.
-Be Sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit:
2. Come close to God with Humility.
James 4:6–7 (NLT) 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
HUMILITY is A condition of lowliness or affliction in which one
experiences a loss of power and prestige. “Tyndale Bible Dictionary”.
This does not sound good in human, worldly terms.
But for the Christian this is Powerful.
Psalm 69:32–33 (NLT) 32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. 33 For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.
Humility is to realize that without God:
-You have no power,
-You can have no real reputation or respect.
Humility is to:
-Depend on God
-Realize that real Power and Respect come from God.
Jesus is our example of how to apply humility in our lives.
Philippians 2:2–5 (NLT) 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing
wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working
together with one mind and purpose. 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to
impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in
others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:6–8 (NLT) 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
3. Come close to God with Hunger.
James 4:8–10 (NLT) 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Hunger for God and what He has for your Life.
Don’t be Dis-Loyal.
We can’t have God and the World.
Be Courageous! Stand for Jesus in Your Life.
James 4:7 (NLT) 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
“Resist” in Greek (anthistēmi, anth-is´-tay-mee) means:
to stand firm against, to set oneself against, to oppose.
We must be intentionally resisting the devil.
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Example of the Crowd of 5000 who Jesus fed with 5 small loaves of bread and 2 small fish.
John 6:26–27 (NIV) 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are
looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because
you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that
spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of
approval.”
The crowd was looking for Jesus because He fed them.
They got a free lunch.
Only their flesh was satisfied.
It’s Time to Hunger for God.
“work for food that endures to eternal life”
John 4:34–35 (NLT) 34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.
Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
Psalm 42:1–2 (NIV) 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my
soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living
God. When can I go and meet with God?
Time to Hunger for God with Fasting:
Matthew 17:20–21 (NKJV) 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of
your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard
seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it
will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this
kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”