Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
James chapter 4 verse 7 says ‘Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ So many times, when people quote this verse, they’ll talk about ‘resist the devil and he will flee.’ Well, what’s key about that verse is not only resisting. You and I can learn to resist the devil and we understand when we resist, he has to flee. But what’s key about this verse is ‘therefore submit to God.’ Sometimes, many prefer to pursue their own methods. They may think, “I’ll do it my way, according to my desires, on my schedule, and by my own means. And if any challenges arise, I’ll confront them using my own abilities, because I’m charting my own course.”
Be encouraged to know that submitting to God can unlock a new level of anointing, discernment, wisdom, and power in your life. By surrendering your way, will, agenda, timeline, and emotions to God, He can help eliminate worldly thoughts and desires from your heart and mind. Trust in His guidance to lead you towards a more fulfilling path and you will realize that certain actions or decisions taken in the past were not aligned with God’s will. Grateful for this realization, it will cause you to express gratitude to the Lord for revealing this truth to you. You will acknowledge that those actions were carried out solely through your own effort, prompting a request for divine guidance and direction.
When we submit ourselves to God, we become infused with his strength, wisdom, and energy. This allows us to resist the devil not by relying on our own self-control, willpower, or tenacity, but through our submission to God. By being submitted to God, we are already in a position to resist the devil, who will then flee from us.
Don’t worry about what you see ahead. What matters is who’s standing behind you, or better still, who’s living inside of you. Who’s inside us is the all-powerful God who’s greater than all. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). On the outside you may look feeble, weak, or smallish; but tell the devil, don’t make a mistake about how I look. I’m stronger inside than I am outside. That’s the way to respond to the word of God. We are to live by the word of God. Because of this text of scripture, I can declare that I have the resistive ability of God in my Spirit. I’m not weak. I’m strong. The spirit of God has strengthened me. I’m resisting the devil so he will flee.
God is our protector. He protects his children. You don’t mess with his children. I’m submitting to God. I’m totally backed by the King of kings. I understand that my strength comes not from my own little fortress, but from my submission to the almighty God. By cooperating with the Spirit of God and drawing strength from Him, I can resist the devil and he will flee. The lion of the tribe of Judah lives inside of me, and my ability to resist comes from my submission to Him, not my own strength.
Isaiah chapter 54 verse 17 says ‘No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. Take a moment to reflect on your current life situation. Are there any challenges that you may be facing and attributing to negative external forces from the enemy? Note what it says: It shall not prosper. Look at those things and refuse to accept them.
" When we submit ourselves to God, we become infused with his strength, wisdom, and energy. "
Look at all your challenges and refuse to accept them. Be confident that you will overcome any challenges that may come your way, whether it be health issues, relational tension, debt, lack of funds, fear, anxiety, or depression. Know that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, and your submission to the Lord should always stem from this victory, rather than futile resistance and reliance on your own strength.
The scripture goes on to say that ‘every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn.’ There’re all kinds of tongues of judgment trying to rise up against you. Sometimes people make negative judgments about us that can be hurtful, like telling a spouse that they’ll never have a good marriage or that they’ll never change. The news also sometimes predicts negative outcomes, like inflation affecting our lives and dreams and the future of our children. However, it’s important to recognise that these are all tongues of judgement.
Who are you to tell me what inflation is going to do to my family? Who gave you the right to be jury and judge over my life? No way! Who do you think you are? When you listen to the voice of God, and you know what God is saying to you then you get an attitude. Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass when the Lord has not commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? (Lamentations 3:37-38). The deeper my relationship with God goes, the bigger my attitude in a good way. The more you submit to God, the more you get the word of God inside of you. The more you die to yourself, the bigger God gets within you and the bigger your attitude.
Don’t ever approach the enemy with a timid excuse and express your discontent with his influence in your life. Instead, boldly confront him with the fact that he has no authority, he is a defeated foe, and you possess the power and authority. Let him know that your words have power and it can cut through any situation like a two-edged sword. Strive to distinguish truth from falsehood and reject anything that attempts to elevate itself above the name of Jesus, as it may come from the enemy. 3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
So, always take this different approach. Ask the devil to take his hands and attacks off your family, and especially your children. Approach any attacking situation with authority, not by reciting crafted sentences from others, but with words coming from a place of confidence and a genuine relationship with God. Speak with passion and authority when addressing the devil because you must never give him a place of power over you.
5 “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Don’t let the devil take advantage of you. Don’t give him the place. Sometimes we give the devil the position of a judge in our lives to declare things and sentence us. We allow negative thoughts to take control of our lives and dictate our future. However, the ultimate authority, the King of kings, sacrificed his life on the cross to eliminate the limitations that hold us back. We should not let our self-doubts sentence us to a life of mediocrity.
He took our trespasses and our uncircumcision of the flesh and that handwriting of requirements of the law, rules, and regulations. And having taken them, he nailed them to the cross. That’s what he did. All my trespasses, failures and lack of performance have been nailed to the cross. ‘Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’
