Tag Archives: resist the devil and he will flee from you

Submit To God

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Therefore - James 4:7- Submit To God - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Therefore – James 4:7- Submit To God – Growing As Disciples

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  James 4:7 (NKJV)

Your Love

At one time I thought it would be a never-ending battle for me to submit myself to you. I thought it would be a white-knuckle affair that would require every ounce of my strength and energy in order for me to submit myself to you. I expected that I would constantly fail in even my best efforts to submit myself to you. Why have you held all these thoughts? Let me first start by saying that I know that I don’t perfectly submit myself to you. I do come up short. I do sin. I do make mistakes. I do fail to follow and obey you perfectly. But, I have much more to say about submitting myself to you. I am listening. I want to submit myself to you. Why do you want to submit yourself to me? Your love has changed me. I want to submit myself to you because you love me. I want to submit myself to you because I love you. That’s quite different than trying to submit myself to you because I should or must. That’s quite different than very reluctantly and slowly choosing to submit myself to you over the pleasures of sin. Now I want everything about me to be submitted to you. Like what? I want the thoughts of my mind to be submitted to you. I want to think thoughts that please you. I want the desires of my heart to be submitted to you. I want to want what you want. I want to know and do your will. I want to live and walk in your ways. I want you to both give and grant the desires of my heart. I want the words of my mouth to be submitted to you. I want to speak words that come from you. I want my words to build others up rather than tear them down. I want the deeds of my life to be submitted to you. I want to go where you guide me. I want to do what you ask of me. I want to accomplish everything that you have laid out in advance for me to do. I want to bear an abundance of fruit for your kingdom. I want to bring glory to your name. These are all desires of a heart and mind and life that is submitted to you. Yes, they are. I know that it will give me great joy to live my life in submission to you. Yes, It will.

There is something else that I know. There is something else that I have to say. What’s that? Evil can’t find a home in a heart and mind and life that is submitted to you. No, it cannot. As I submit myself to you I am also resisting evil. Yes, you are. As I submit myself to you the devil and all his evil must flee from me. That’s right. I will keep submitting myself to you because you love me and I love you. Yes, you will.

Lord, your love has changed me. Your love has passionately motivated my desire to submit myself to you. I want your thoughts on my mind and your desires on my heart. I will submit myself fully to you. I will resist the devil so he and all his evil will flee from me. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Therefore – James 4-7 – Submit To God – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Submit Yourselves, Then, To God

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Spiritual Warfare - James 4:7-10 - Submit Yourselves, Then, To God - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Spiritual Warfare – James 4:7-10 – Submit Yourselves, Then, To God – Growing As Disciples

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10 (NIV)

Submit and Resist

Do you want to be able to stand against evil? Do you want to be able to resist temptation? Do those two questions seem silly to even ask you? I think that is a trick question. Why is that? No question that you would ask me could ever be silly. The question may seem silly to me. The question may seem unnecessary to ask. But the question is not silly and not unnecessary to ask. Why is that? First of all, if I want to stand against evil and resist temptation that must be my firm desire. What do you mean by that? If I like doing evil and living in sin, then I will have no hope of standing against evil and resisting temptation. If my heart and mind are divided on the subject of standing against evil and resisting temptation, I will never have victory over them. Isn’t that obvious? Yes, it is, but not to everyone.

Where must you begin if it is your firm desire to stand against evil and resist temptation? Now, that is a very good and important question. It sounds like you are about to speak from the voice of experience. Yes, I am. I will tell you one thing. What’s that? Victory over evil and temptation does not begin with me. My own power and strength and efforts will never give me victory over evil and temptation. That’s true. If I want victory over evil and temptation I must submit myself to you. I must draw near to you. I must seek you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. I must live in an intimate relationship with you. Your love for me and my love for you will make me want to live in victory over evil and temptation. Why is that? As I keep on drawing near to you, I will continually want to do what is pleasing to you. I will want what you want. I will want to live the life that you have called me to live. That’s true. When I am living in an intimate relationship with you standing against evil and resisting temptation will be the desire of my heart and mind and life. Yes, it will. 

What must you do when you see and feel that evil and temptation are attempting to ensnare you? I must run from them. I must run to you. I must keep on submitting to you. I must keep on drawing near to you. I must continue to live in an intimate relationship with you. Then evil will lose its’ power to draw me into temptation and sin. Will you keep on submitting yourself to me? Will you keep on drawing near to me? Will you continue to live in an intimate relationship with me? Yes Lord, I will. Then you will live in the victory I have secured for you. Thank you, Lord.

Heavenly Father, it is my joy and delight to draw near to you. Thank you that you also draw near to me. There is no place that I would rather be than in your presence. I submit myself to you. Guide, guard and protect my life so that the devil must flee from me.  Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Spiritual Warfare – James 4-7-10 – Submit Yourselves, Then, To God – 4 Page Discipleship Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com