Submit Yourselves unto God

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS

God directs believers to submit to various authorities; yet, above all these authorities, we must submit ourselves unto God. This submission entails submitting our whole being (body, soul, and spirit) to God. Christ purchased us with His own blood on Calvary (1 Corinthians 6:20), and we are no longer our own. This means that God has the authority to tell us what to eat, where to go, what to watch, what to listen to, what to read, where to attend church, how to worship Him, and the list continues without end. Every aspect of our lives, from our thought life to our every action, remains God’s business. We should wisely submit every aspect of our lives to Him. Submitting to God enables us to resist the Devil and when we resist him, the Devil flees.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): When the apostle Paul first met the Lord, he asked, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). Paul's life later revealed that he asked this question often as he served the Lord. We should follow Paul’s example.

• (For everyone): Think about various areas within your life. Does the Lord reign in each of these areas? Does He have authority in your life, or are you living according to your own will and way?

• Who dictates what you wear? Who dictates the language you use? Who dictates your prayer life and Bible study? Who dictates what you believe? If the answer is not the Lord in each area, you are not fully submitted to Him.

PRAYER THOUGHTS

• Ask God to help you submit every aspect of your life to Him.

• Ask God to show you when you are in authority instead of Him.

SONG: In All My Lord's Appointed Ways

Pastor Andrew Ray

Devotions on Submission