Are You Submitting to God?

“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you” (James 4:7, CEB).

A young man felt a call on his life to serve in missionary work, so he went to his spiritual leader for guidance. During their conversation, the leader discerned an independent spirit and edgy attitude in the young man. As he observed these disturbing signs, he counseled him, “Before you can become a missionary, you must become ‘submissionary’” — meaning, of course, that he must learn to submit.

Submission is a hard word but a very powerful one. Christians are schooled in the practice of binding Satan over themselves, people, churches and cities, but Satan doesn’t flee unless the one praying possesses a spirit submissive to God. In other words, it is impossible to resist the devil in any area if there is not submission to God in every area.

Submission recognizes God’s authority and his Word. It’s relatively easy to submit until you encounter something you don’t agree with. For example, if a young man knows that the Word of God says not to marry a non-Christian but he decides that “love trumps God” and he goes ahead with the marriage, he is not submissive to the authority of the Father. He may argue that he loves God and is submissive to him, but you cannot submit without obeying. You see, submission is the attitude, but obedience is the action that proves the attitude.

Once, a mother instructed her disobedient son to sit in a corner as discipline. After a couple of minutes of sitting, the child told his mother, “I’m sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside.” This is a perfect example of obeying but not submitting.

Christian author Edwin Louis Cole said, “Your ability to resist temptation is directly proportionate to your submission to God.” Don’t sin by thinking you know better than God what’s best for you. Recognize your heavenly Father as your authority and obey him with a smile on your face!

^{Pastor Tim pastored an inner-city congregation in Detroit for thirty years before serving at Brooklyn Tabernacle in NYC for five years. He and his wife Cindy presently pastor in Lafayette, Louisiana.}