The Sixteenth of February

RESIST THE DEVIL --- James 4:7

"Let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." --- Romans 6:12.

"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." --- James 4:7.

O my soul, how awful is thy state by nature and practice! Sin hath gained a dominion over thee! its influence is universal over the soul and body, and over every son and daughter of Adam: it hath brought death on the body, and subjected the soul to everlasting misery; its authority is unjust, and its power cruel and destructive.

Lord Jesus, let me adore thine effectual grace, that it hath in any measure delivered me from its power, and assist my poor heart in opposing and rejecting every temptation to obey it in the lusts thereof; let thy precious blood effectually secure me from the guilt of sin in this life, and punishment of it in another!

O my soul, if thou art a faithful follower of Jesus, though Satan received a deadly wound when Christ was crucified for us, yet his malice is still the same; thou hast a thousand enemies, and the devil is the leader of them all. Oh may I, with the deepest humility, look to Jesus, rest upon Jesus, and derive daily strength from him to resist the devil; and, finally, to come off conqueror, and more than conqueror, through him that loved me! Amen.

Stretch out thine arm, victorious King,
My reigning sins subdue;
Drive the old dragon from his seat;
And form my soul anew.