Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. -James 4:7
The Gospels tell us of the temptations that Jesus experienced at the beginning of His ministry. Essentially, He was offered power, fortune and fame. All He would have to do is submit to the devil and He would never be hungry again. Jesus was directed to put on a show and gain popularity if He would forsake His Father. He could have all the power of the world for simply worshiping Satan. Jesus calmly rejected all temptations.
In our world today it looks as if much of the church is more focused on winning elections than winning souls. Many within the church fear persecution because they like the comfort that acceptability offers them. They want to be able to sit on their couch watching movies that might make Jesus blush while eating foods that are making them sick than to fast, pray and read their Bibles. We, the body of believers, proudly give our tithes to churches that put on a rock concert with some nice encouraging messages thrown in. We LOVE the spectacle. We have accepted the Devil’s offer. We have failed the test.
Instead James tells us to submit to God. This requires that we wake up and breath in deep of God’s Holy Spirit. We submit ALL things to Him. Each morning as I breath out I ask God to empty my cup. Jesus I submit my schedule, my priorities to yours. I had good intentions when I made my plans, but Jesus, You, know best. I belong to You. I submit my thoughts, my emotions, and ALL of my actions to You. Empty my cup. I then remind myself that my life is not my own. I was bought at a price. I forsake fame, fortune and power. I deny my body nourishment accept where God grants me the great blessings of food. When I do these things the Devil is discouraged. He leaves me because he has limited time so he must get to work on a softer target. He looks for those that he can lead to hate, to jealousy to those that only care about the temporary. In short he comes for those not All in, nor fully submitted to God. My friends submit to Him.
