Introduction:
This week, we are finding inspiration in James 4:7. The two key words here are submit (a synonym of surrender) and resist.
When I was a kid, I loved to watch wrestling on Saturday mornings. This is back when it was more of a low budget affair, without the pyrotechnics and high-end production that is common today. Ric Flair was probably the most flamboyant wrestler of the time. He was also pretty ruthless, commonly bringing his opponent to submit by using an extremely painful leg-lock called “The Figure Four.” His opponent would cry out in pain, begging the referee to stop the match because they were in such pain.
I am not proposing that God beats us into submission or places us in a “figure four” to force us to surrender ourselves to Him. However, it is our most painful circumstances that our surrender and submission to God can be most powerfully illustrated. The Bible is filled with illustrations of this very thing. It is important for us to remember this truth: If we are not surrendered/submitting, we are resisting. That is why this little verse in James is so powerful.
First Study: Surrender
READ:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7 (NRSV)
DECIDE:
As sinners we do nothing but resist doing God’s will. The pattern of our lives is to reject what is right and righteous for what is self-centered and sinful. In other words, we are resisting God and surrendered to our enemy, Satan. We have talked about confession and repentance, our first steps in surrendering to God and resisting the enemy. If you have done that, accepting the gift of grace that God is offering, you have started a journey of surrender and submission to God and resistance to anything and everything that is ungodly. This is not a once in a lifetime decision. It is a daily decision to surrender ourselves to God. Really, it is a moment by moment decision to surrender. When tempted to once again resist and reject God’s will for your life and submit again to the enemy, we must lean into the strength and power that God gives us and resist. The Bible tells us he has given us all things necessary for life and godliness. Everything we need to live according to James 4:7 is within us through the Holy Spirit.
DECLARE:
Lord, God, I want to live a James 4:7 life. Every minute of every day of my life is Yours, Lord. When temptations come, deliver me from evil. When trials and pain come, give me strength to stand in surrendered confidence. When persecution or broken relationships come, help me to determine to seek You first. I submit to You and resist the devil, knowing You will complete the work You have started in me and the devil will flee.
DEVOTE:
Knowing that God is love and wants what is best for us, why is it sometimes hard to surrender to Him?
What does the Bible say about the power God gives us to live a surrendered life? (The same power raised Jesus from the dead lives in us by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:17-19)
PRAY:
God, we ask you to show us any area in our lives that is a place of resistance to You. We want to surrender to You and live according to Your will. Help us to become more like Jesus who came to earth and walked in submission to You, even choosing death on a cruel cross. In Jesus name, Amen.
Second Study: RESIST
READ:
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
DECIDE:
The enemy wants to devour your life like a roaring lion. He wants to steal your precious days the Lord has given you to do His will and glorify Him. He wants to kill your faith with fear. He wants to destroy the advancing Kingdom of God in the earth. When we look around at all the evil in the world, it seems like the devil is doing just that. He seems to be “winning.” That fills us with fear and anxiety. Today, and every day, we must submit to God. We must confess to Him our fears and our anxieties, knowing that He cares for us and will give us everything we need. It takes discipline. That means we give ourselves to engaging with His Word, the Bible, and spending time with Him in prayer. It means we stay alert to our lives, rejecting those things that would keep us from living in surrender to God. It means we understand that we are not alone in this battle and must link arms with other believers, like us, who are seeking to live a life of surrender to God and resisting the devil’s influence in our lives.
DECLARE:
I will resist the devil by engaging with God’s Word, seeking to become more like Jesus, because that is what God intends. I will pray. I will not allow temptation to trap me, but resist with all the power God promises at my first awareness of it. I will be alert to the things that distract me and discipline myself to not allow those things to break down my commitment to God and His Word. I will join with other believers, as God intends, for growth and accountability. I will resist and the enemy will flee.
DEVOTE:
Why is it important to commune with God in His Word and through prayer?
Why is it important to be aware of those things that may hinder my relationship with God?
What are some ways to resist the devil?
PRAY:
Dear God, I know that you love me. You intend for my life to be fruitful, filled with people and things that help me grow up and become like Jesus. I cannot resist the devil in my own strength and wisdom. In times of temptation, help me to use all that you have given me to resist and choose what will glorify You. Help me to be a friend that lives to help others know You more. Help me to be a friend that puts others needs above my own and thus share the love of Jesus through my actions. Help me to resist the devil by surrendering to You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Going Deeper: 2 Timothy 1:7; Matthew 6:33; Romans 12:1