I hope you memorize this one quick AND are able to apply it, because when we do, it really is powerful!
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Jas 4:7 NIV
So if we submit to the three enemies- the devil, this corrupt world and/or our old MMI person- we are sure to be inviting trouble into our lives, and sooner or later, we will suffer because of it. If you sow bad seeds, you will reap a bad harvest. But when we submit to God, we might hurt a little right then and there because we are resisting. And what are we resisting? Ultimately, we are resisting the devil, who is the source of everything that is evil. But this also means we are resisting the other two enemies as well. We will resist following this corrupt world which can bring ridicule or persecution to our lives. And more challenging yet, we are resisting our old, MMI Person which wants whatever is easy, comfortable and pleasurable, which are not always the best things for us, do we see that? This resisting causes us to “die to self,” as it is called, which can be painful at first, but the more we grow, the less painful it becomes.
Resisting the old way of living brings its temporary challenges, but when we submit to God long and deep enough, those things will no longer be a problem for us. So this is our choice: submit to the three enemies and continue to suffer long and hard OR choose to submit to God so we will be able to resist those three troublemakers, and only sense the struggle for a short time, then be free of it. As always, our choice is God or everything else. If you are sick and tired of living a lack luster life, then understand only God can help us resist the temptation to keep doing the same old thing, but instead we will…well, more tomorrow…
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
March: 9- 1Pe 5:7; 10- Jn 8:32; 11- Dt 30:19; 12- Jn 3:30; 13- 2Chron 20:3
April: 14- 2Chron 20:12; 15- 2Chron 20:15b; 16- 2Chron 20:17
May: 17- Ro 8:28; 18- 1Co 13:13; 19- Php 2:12; 20- Mt 5:4
21- Lk 23:42
22- Jas 4:7
<>< Peace, Diane
