James 4:1-10 "Submit and Listen"

Read James 4:1-10.

"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." NIV

Here's how to live the Christian life in a nutshell. Every component you need is right here in these three little sentences. Yes, we've seen it in "Love the Lord your God with all you heart...." and "Love your neighbor...." But here it is broken down alittle more.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God." The Greek for submit used here means:
to arrange under, to subordinate
to subject, put in subjection
to subject one's self, obey
to submit to one's control
to yield to one's admonition or advice
to obey, be subject

This is full surrender to His lordship. Placing God in complete control of your life and obeying His commands. He is the master and I am the servant in every area of my life. No options, no pulling anything back, no saying "no" to His leading. Really, if we do this everything else will fall into place. But let's break it down even more.

"Resist the devil and he will flee." Even the most surrendered will be tempted by the enemy. Therefore, we must always be battle-ready to resist his enticements. And speak it out loud. Remember, the enemy can't read your thoughts. There is amazing power in the spoken word. Make him flee with your voice and the authority God has given you over the enemy. If you claim that authority, he truly has no power over you.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." I don't know how often I have heard believers say that God has left them. That is completely unbiblical. God said He will never leave us or forsake us. If we think God has left, in actuality, we have left or God is just being silent. (He does that sometimes. I don't know why expect maybe to test our faith.) But the truth remains, God is always with us and always in control. If we are not "feeling" Him, we may not getting still enough to hear. Again and again when I have believers tell me of the chaos and confusion they are feeling, they've stopped having their time alone with God. It's like trying to use your cell phone day after day without ever recharging the battery. After a day or two you have no power to draw from and the chaos of the world begins to take over your thinking.

Get solidly connected to the Lord DAILY. Draw near to His sweet presence. And the quarrels, selfish desires, worries, worldly enticements will all just fade away. Your compass will once again have found true north.

Further Thoughts:

1. So many people in the Bible took time away to be with the Lord. Look at the life of Moses, David, the prophets, and Jesus. They all sought God's face regularly. They truly knew the source of their strength.
2. Do you need to recalibrate your compass. Take some time away with the Lord. His presence is the answer to every need you may have. The difficulties don't all go away, but when placed in His capable hands, you don't have to worry or fret anymore and peace is restored.
3. Watch this video and listen to the David Crowder Band, "Come and Listen"