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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Stay far from temptation by staying close to God

By Waylon Bailey The Apostle James prepared the people of his day and all those believers who have followed after to resist the devil and to live for God in a culture that opposes God. He gave amazing advice which fits any people at any time (James 4:7-10). "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. . . .When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor." Today I want us to look at the relationship between drawing near to God and resisting the Devil. James’ epistle makes that plain. To be close to God is to resist the devil and not to fall under his schemes. On the contrary, when we think ourselves sufficient apart from God we place ourselves in a very dangerous and precarious position. John Kincaid notices this association as well: “Resist the devil by drawing near to God; Satan doesn’t like to be close to God.” That makes so much sense. Of course, Satan does not like being close to God. To be in the presence of God is to be far from the devil and his desire to destroy us. When Jesus resisted the devil in the … [Read more...]

Blue wave, red wall collide in national elections

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA (LBM) — The 2018 midterm elections will be remembered as historic as much as for what happened as for what did not take place, with voters turning out in record numbers and a divided Congress being elected. An estimated 113 million voters participated in the midterm elections, the first midterm in history to exceed 100 million voters, amounting to nearly 49 percent of eligible voters in this “off-year” election. This compares to 41 percent participation, almost 82.5 million voters, in 2010, the first midterm of then-President Obama’s eight-year tenure. Democrats secured control of the House, but not in the blue wave they had expected. They appear to have won about 12 seats more than the 218 needed. But, political observers label a number of these newcomers as “moderates” who supposedly will not support the obstructionist strategy in play by the Democrats the first two years of President Trump’s administration. According to the latest CNN count, Democrats will seat 230 members and Republicans will muster 205 when Congress convenes in 2019. Republicans strengthened their power in the Senate, adding two more seats, meaning the president likely will succeed to name federal judges in … [Read more...]