Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. —James 4:7-8
James delivers these three concise instructions straight from the Lord Jesus. Each one equips us for living a successful Christian life this very day, and every day that we employ them.
Submit yourselves to the Lord
Of course! How else should we relate to an Almighty Sovereign than to go to Him in submission, willing to live this day as He directs? Jesus taught us that He did nothing on His own, but did everything the Father required of Him. So must it be for us (John 5 & 6). I remember the very first time I dropped to my knees in the morning and gave God my day—utterly. And I remember well the new joy of looking all day for “God-signs”—in chance meetings, calls I received, unexpected happenings—then seeing God working in all these circumstances. Submitting myself to God ignited my life with daily excitement and the anticipation of meeting Him at any hour.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you
This is not an emergency resource. Resisting the devil is an everyday, any moment tool we employ as the devil attacks with wrong thoughts, carnal desires, or ungodly attitudes. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He resisted Satan by quoting Scripture. We must study the Word and store its wisdom in our hearts in order to discern good and evil, and be equipped to resist. Know that our Lord is faultless in His faithfulness. If you resist the devil in Jesus' name, if you order Sata away from you, using your fighter verses and standing on the authority of Christ Jesus, the devil and his temptations will evaporate from your presence. Our Lord tells us to be holy, for He is holy. We desperately need this tool daily.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you
I hug this verse to my heart so very often because I have found it to be so true! Like Enoch, who walked with God; like Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet to learn; like Jacob, who clung to Him until He promised to bless him; passionate love and longing for the Lord flourishes and grows as we draw near to Him, and experience Him drawing near to us.
How do we draw near to God? Read His Word daily and worship there. Worship at church. Worship in the night when you can’t sleep. Talk with your Savior throughout the day. Pour out your heart to Him, call on Him for whatever your need. Praise Him for the greatness of His character and for each precious gift He gives. He is near.
For Reflection
Change your life by beginning this very moment to submit yourself to the Lord Jesus.
Practice discerning good and evil by studying God's Word. Whenever you recognize wrongdoing in your behavior or thoughts, resist the devil with that Word.
Make your own list of ways you can draw near to God.