25 Aug Badge (discovering that authority is the channel through which God’s power flows): Part 4
Christians love to say, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The only problem with that is the Bible doesn’t say that! “Now wait a minute Pastor Jim, you are supposed to be a diligent student of the Bible. The Bible does say that!” No, the Bible tells us in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Over the years this has been one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible!
With that in mind, we began to share the first of our “6 Submit Standards”
Let’s review…
- There is a difference between submit and surrender (Mark 8:34-35).
The Bible tells us, “He who seeks to save his life shall lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s, shall find it” (Matt. 16:25). In other words, whatever you hold onto for yourself, will end up a mess. Whatever you give to God will ultimately end up blessed!
Remember this: Always submit yourself to God, but never surrender to the devil!
2. You must get under what is over you, in order to get over what is under you! (James 4:7)
Over the years I have heard this statement made on occasion, “Pastor, I resisted the devil and he didn’t flee.” To which my response is always similar. If your “resister” is not working…check up on your “submitter.”
“Pastor, how do I practically submit myself to God?” you might be asking at this juncture. Simply submit yourself to HIS WORD!
Remember: You can’t resist the devil on top of life’s table when you are playing footsie with him under the table! You don’t have to live a perfect life to resist the devil, but you can’t live a rebellious life and resist the devil.
This week let’s continue our series with…
3. There are certain things you should submit to and there are certain things you should resist (John 10:10).
The devil has always been like a classroom bully. He will hit you on the back of the head and when you turn around, he will say “God did it!” If he can fool you into thinking that God did what the devil truly caused, it will put you into a position of non-resistance to the enemy. From that position, he will be able to beat your brains in and convince you that God did it!
Please allow me to share with you some Biblical truths that will help you to differentiate between the two. “3 Resist Reasonings”:
1.) Anything that steals, kills or destroys…resist!
John 10:10 tells us, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but I am come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.” This is a clear line of demarcation!
2) Anything Jesus bore FOR you on the cross…resist!
When my father-in-law comes to visit I will carry in his heavy suitcases. I’m glad to do this…I love him! When I carry them I don’t intend for him to carry them…I am carrying them for the sole purpose that he doesn’t have to!
Jesus carried your sin, sickness, fear, worry, and depression….so YOU DON’T HAVE TO! If these things try to come your way, resist them…they are from your enemy!
3.) God is good….He does good things. The devil is bad…he does bad things. They never swap jobs. They never work together. PERIOD! (see James 1:13-17)!
Next month we’ll continue our series!