James 4:7 Submit Yourselves
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living. True Christian living requires us to live according to Kingdom standards which bring Heaven to earth

By Marni Montanez

James 4:7 ESV

7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Surrendering to God is a requirement if we are going to have hope in this world and live in peace. By relinquishing control over our own lives and submitting to God’s wisdom and purpose, we experience growth and gain understanding.  In this place of submission we fulfill our purpose on earth. The Holy Spirit is our guide, protector and healer. He never leaves us; it is we who leave Him.

When we humble ourselves before God we have access to His power and authority and are able to stand firm against the devil.  We need to have clarity of thought to resist the devil’s schemes against us because he is so crafty in twisting the truth. This resistance does not involve the flesh so there is no striving.  We must keep our focus on God. Once we do, it is a natural progression to turn away from the adversary. Standing in truth helps us to stand in faith.

If we do not give our attention to the enemy, he will not have direct access into our thought life.  The practice of being God focused, trains our mind to receive the truth and the things once seeming overwhelming start appearing manageable.  We must place our eyes continuously on Christ; which keeps us where we belong; under God’s wings.

Psalm 32:7 (NIV)  

7. You are my hiding place;  you will protect me from trouble  and surround me with songs of deliverance.    The enemy of our soul will have no option but to leave.

Challenge:   During the day acknowledge God and His greatness.  Commit to pursuing Him with all your heart. Ask Him to help you to keep yourself submitted to Him.

God bless

Marni

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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.