Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 ESV
[Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash]
Submit…
In Greek…
hupotasso… 1 to arrange under, to subordinate. 2 to subject, put in subjection. 3 to subject one’s self, obey. 4 to submit to one’s control. 5 to yield to one’s admonition or advice. 6 to obey, be subject. Additional information: A Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader.” In non-military use, it was “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden.”
–Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon
The first step… to being… pressed… for true communion… with God… and others…
Submit…
Pressed into service…
Press yourself into service… voluntarily… give in to God… cooperate with Him… assume responsibility for your subjection to Him… carry the burden He gives you…
When we submit ourselves to God… let Him have rule over our lives… the devil… the world… loses the ability to conform us into its mold…
Submission to God… breaks the hold of the enemy…
Not only that… it apparently threatens him… because he flees… runs… for safety… vanishes from sight… (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon)
Freeing ourselves from the influence of the oppressive lies of the world… begins with coming into agreement with God… arranging our lives under the authority of the Creator… your Creator… the Lover of your soul…
So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.
Isaiah 59:19 ESV
The “they” who fear His name… His authority… in this verse are the enemies of His people… (see Isaiah 59:18)
The Hebrew translated as wind… is ruwach… the same word used for “spirit”…
Therefore… the wind of the Lord… which drives away the enemy… is the Spirit of the Lord…
Only His Spirit makes the enemy flee…
That’s why we must submit to His Spirit… be under His authority… for the enemy to run from us…
Because whether we like it or not… we were created to serve…
Even when we think we are serving ourselves… we are serving the world’s system set up by the enemy…
There are only two choices when it comes to authority…
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
Romans 6:16 NIV
Jesus demonstrates the reality of this in the wilderness… the forty days of fasting… opening the door to temptation…
Then Jesus said to [the devil tempting Him in the wilderness], “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.'” Then the devil left Him, angels came and were ministering to Him.
–Matthew 4:10-11
The tempter… the liar… fled… when Jesus proclaimed His submission to God… through worship… and service… which biblically are equivalent to one another…
Every time… we give into fear… or self-indulgence… rather than giving into the pressing of God… we are worshiping… serving… the devil… or our own fleshly desires… not God…
All of us suffer the same temptations each day… there is nothing new under the sun… all sins common to all people… (1Corinthians 10:13)
But a life submitted to the authority of the Son… our Savior… our Lord… is given the power to resist… if we will but take responsibility for our actions… choose who we let press us into what… and trust His faithfulness…
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
1Peter 5:8-9 ESV
Who are you submitting to in the day to day…? moment by moment…?
Are you experiencing more freedom and peace…? or fear and depression…?
What does this reveal about you…?
[Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash]
Father God… open our eyes to see… where we are falling prey to the enemy… and resisting You… Bless us with the faith to stand firm… faithful… fully submitted to You in all things…
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