Topic: The Power of Submission [Friday July 7, 2017]
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.
When you choose to function the world’s way, you are romancing or sleeping with the world and hence disobeying God. Once you have decided to function the way the world functions, you have decided to set yourself against God. Don’t you know that God is jealous because he is inside you? He is saying don’t mess up with what I have invested inside you. You can’t handle yourself anyhow. Others can do it, but not you. You are a new creation.
James 4:6 says, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” In other words, once you are submissive to God, you access more of his grace. It may be difficult to stand, but he will give you grace to stand. Remember, grace is the favour, the might and power of God. The goodness and strength of God on your behalf. That which God gives to you not because you deserve it but because of Christ and his work on the cross.
It also says God resists the proud. The proud is any person who disobeys God, who does not care about him. The humble is the person that submits to him. James 4:7 then said, in view of this, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It says be wise and submit to God’s directives so that you can be able to resist the devil because it is only when you submit that you can resist the devil and he will flee from you.
The word ‘flee’ there means to run away like a dog in terror with its tail between its legs because he knows that somebody with a higher authority is commanding him. But when you are not in submission and you rebuke the devil, he will say, Jesus I know, Paul I know, who are you? That is, you don’t have right over him because you are at the same level.
Further Reading: James 4:1 – 10, 1 Peter 5:5-9
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Job 34-35; Evening- Acts 15:1-21
Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.