If I were to ask you, “What does it say in the Book of James 4:7?”
You’d probably roll your eyes and say, “Wilma, Everyone knows the answer to that question!
James 4:7 says, ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ ” And you’d be right, but … only partially.
What James 4:7 says, in its entirety is:
Submit yourselves, therefore, unto God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
See, everyone wants to resist the devil and make him flee, but you can’t do that without power. And you can’t have power until you, first, submit to God.
Imagine getting in your car, preparing to drive. You’ve got the car, the keys, your destination in mind and then you realize your car is completely out of gas. Your tank is empty! So, you’re not going anywhere until you refill that gas tank.
In the same way, you may be ready to resist the devil and his temptations to get you to gossip, lash out at someone, or even refuse to apologize when you’re wrong but, unless you’ve submitted to God, first, you just won’t have the power. This means you will gossip, you will lash out and you will let pride keep you from apologizing even when you know you are wrong.
The strength of our ability to resist the devil, is directly proportionate to our willingness to submit to God. We must keep first things.. FIRST! This is a clear 3-step promise and you can’t skip the order:
Step 1: Submit to God
Step 2: Resist the devil
Step 3: Watch him flee
If you don’t submit to God, you’ll have a very tough time resisting the devil. And if you can’t resist the devil, you can’t make him flee. This means he’ll hang around and continue to try to wreak havoc in your life. Nobody wants that. So, how do we submit to God?
FIVE (5) WAYS TO SUBMIT TO GOD
- Read/Meditate His Word
- Make Prayer a Lifestyle
- Praise & Worship Daily
- Speak the Word Only
- Fast Regularly to Dominate Your Flesh
Remember, it is the will of God for you to overcome every scheme, plot and temptation that the devil uses against you. For you to make the devil flee, you’ve got to resist him. And for you to resist the devil, you’ll have to submit to God, first!
Keep the Faith, LifeSpeakers!
Love,
Wilma
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