Stop Resisting

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

We forget far too often that without God, we can do nothing by ourselves. This also applies to our ability to resist the devil. We cannot resist without God! When we begin our walk with God, we trust Him in all things and lean on Him immensely. But, after a while, we get to a point where we think we can try to do something on our own. We stop submitting ourselves to God and to His plan. And, the moment we do, we open ourselves up to allow the devil to creep in and to start to wear us down.

Submission to God is the key to resisting the devil. We think we might be resisting the devil, but we’re actually resisting God when we don’t submit ourselves to Him. If we don’t make serving God a priority—reading the Word and staying faithful to prayer and fasting—we’ll be cut down by the devil. Paul reminded the church to die daily and submit ourselves to God (I Corinthians 15:31).

We cannot serve two masters in this life. If we aren’t serving God, we’re serving something else. If we’re not connected to God and His Spirit, we won’t complete the tasks God wants us to do and follow the will He has for our lives. We need to position ourselves through submission to be a conduit His Spirit can flow through. If we’re not submitting to Him, we’re resisting His Spirit (Acts 7:51).

Paul tells the church to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand (resist) the devil (Ephesians 6:13). Our own armor isn’t capable of resistance—we have to put on God’s armor. We cannot go into the battle on our own accord and with our own abilities. We must have the Spirit of God and allow His presence, His power, and His ability to resist and come against the devil.

If we’re going to be able to resist, we must decrease so God can increase in our lives. When we’re fully submitted to God, there isn’t room for us. When we’re full of God, revival will happen. Are we ready today to submit ourselves to God and stop resisting?