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

And the devil will flee from you…

As a repeat sinner who struggles with sin on a daily basis, the thought of the devil fleeing sounds so, so, sooooooo good. Yes, I want that. I long for a day when all my thoughts and yearnings are pure and good. I long for a day when I can love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind 24/7.

So, then, how can we live in such a way that the devil flees from us? There are two steps.

First, submit yourselves to God. Notice God did not say submit to your inner voice, or give into your heart, or follow your gut. If you want to see the devil fleeing, the first step is an ongoing, never-ending, until the day we draw our last breath surrendering and submitting to God.

The second step is to resist the devil. It’s not enough to submit to God. We need to keep resisting the devil. And just as it was with surrendering, the resisting of the devil is an ongoing, never-ending, until the day we draw our last breath resisting the devil thing.

Gee. I know. It sounds exhausting. But what are the alternatives? Should we give into the devil? NO!!! Should we give into sin? NO!!! Should we keep battling sin? No!!!

You see, the mere fact that we are battling sin and fighting the devil is the proof that God is at work in our lives. The proof of living under the influence of the Holy Spirit is NOT that we are sinless, but that we are submitting to God and resisting the devil. The fight against sin and the devil is the proof that God is at work in us.

So, keep fighting the good fight. Submit to God. Resist the devil.

“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you – they are your life” (Deuteronomy 32:46-47).

Could you imagine if you were lucky enough to buy Apple Stocks before Apple became the Apple of today? Could you imagine if you got in at the very beginning when Apple first started trading in the stock market?

Gee. You would be set for life!!!

Now, imagine if you knew a new startup that will blow what Apple’s stock did out of the water. This wasn’t guesswork but you knew it without a shadow of doubt because…I don’t know…let’s say you were a time traveller from the future.

If these parameters were true, would you do it? Would you put your life savings on the new stock? Of course you would. You would be set for life.

Read the verses of the day again. “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day…They are not just idle words for you – they are your life.”

Do you see what God is saying? Do you see what God is offering?

The million dollar question – “Will you do it? Will you do what God’s word says?”

“There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me” (2 Chronicles 18:7).

Lol.

Have you ever felt that way? What do you do when you don’t like what the Bible has to say?

I encourage you to read the entire chapter to read this verse in context. King Ahab, the king of the northern kingdom of Israel, and king Jehoshaphat, the king of the southern kingdom of Judah, were preparing to go to war with their common enemy. Before going to war king Jehoshaphat wanted to check with a prophet of God to see whether they should go to war or not.

First, they call together four hundred “prophets” who give them a favorable word. But Jehoshaphat isn’t confident about what these so-called “prophets” are saying. To Jehoshaphat it sounded like these “prophets” were just brown-nosing and saying whatever the king wanted to hear. So Jehoshaphat asks, “Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?” (2 Chronicles 18:6).

Jehoshaphat knows the deal. He calls it right out. These four hundred aren’t prophets. They don’t speak for the LORD.

This is when Ahab responds, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me.”

Perhaps, Ahab, this might have something to do with the fact that you are one of the most wicked kings in the history of Israel.

But, no. The problem is with the prophet of the LORD. The problem is what God has to say.

Here’s a clue: if you have a problem with God’s word, the problem is not God’s word. The problem is you. The problem is me. When we come across God’s word we do not like we are the ones who need to change and conform to God’s word, never the other way around.

Got it?