James 4:7-10(NKJV) 7Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
I believe the church of the Lord Jesus Christ faces both tremendous challenges and tremendous opportunity in 2012. In the United States, we will be electing a new president. This is always significant for the world as well as the church. However, in these times I believe having God’s man (or woman) in office is even more critical. We need to pray that God’s will be done.
Beyond the election, we face a world in turmoil on every front. If there is one thing that people need it is an answer. You might ask, “An answer to what?” People need answers to virtually everything. What do we do about finances? What do we do about social issues? How do we face the dangers in our world? What is morally and ethically right and acceptable in this day? These are only a few of the questions that people are asking.
The truth is there is only one answer and his name is Jesus. He gave us the answer to all these questions and more in the bible. Unfortunately, our culture has so marginalized Christianity and the Word of God that the bible as a viable place to find answers for our day is mostly rejected. How can we as the Church change that condition? I believe the only way we change people’s attitude toward the bible is to live out the truth in its pages in our own lives. We need to become the “Word of God made flesh” just as Jesus did.
All of this thinking leads to what I have concluded is the assignment for our church in this year. We must learn to possess our land. We must drive out the enemies of our success. These enemies include the world the flesh and the devil. Finally, we must begin to occupy our land until Jesus comes. To occupy means to fill our land, our place of influence, with the presence of God. This will take real, functioning, mature disciples of Jesus Christ.
With these goals in mind, we have been looking at these three things and how they play out in our daily living. Possession is, among other things, an attitude. I believe we must learn to cultivate an uncompromising attitude towards the things God has given us in his word. The devil has no right to keep them from us. The promises of God are all “yes and amen in Christ Jesus” and the devil has no right to hinder us from receiving them.
Along with cultivating an attitude of possession, we must also drive out the enemies that keep us from possessing. If possession is an attitude, driving out is an action. If we really want to possess the Land that God has given us, we are going to have to change some actions. We cannot be lazy or complacent and come to the kind of maturity possessing requires. To quote a military add God is looking for a few good men, women and children, who will take the challenge of possessing our land of promises.
With this in mind, let us all look carefully and objectively at what we are doing and find areas where our actions do not line up with our beliefs. If we want 2012 to be better than 2011, we must be willing to make the changes that are necessary. You cannot change everything at once. Find a few things that you need to work on and make it a goal to change them. Take this seriously and I believe God will meet you and you will see good things this year.
This week we will look at a particular area of action in which we need to become more aggressive. Verse seven today’s scripture speaks of two things. First, it says, “submit to God.” Second, it says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” It is imperative that we become more aggressive in both these things if we are going to drive out our enemies.
I believe we often confuse these two things. We aggressively resist the Lord and submit to the devil. It is needless to say that this will not work. In verse 6, Paul tells us that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 16:18 tells us pride goes before destruction and an arrogant spirit before a fall. We need to be very careful about our obedience to God. When we choose to disobey, we are saying we know better than the Lord does. That is the highest manifestation of pride.
We must become aggressive in our submission to God. That means we must become aggressive in our obedience to the Word of God and the ways of God. We cannot allow small things to go unattended if we want to drive out the enemies of our success completely. The world will not understand this. The world will call us extreme, old fashioned or narrow minded. However, it is not the world that we need to please and it is not the world that has our answers. When we aggressively submit to the Lord, we will find the power and wisdom necessary to possess our land.
Thayer’s Bible Definitions defines the word translated submit this way;
1) to arrange under, to subordinate
2) to subject, put in subjection
3) to subject one’s self, obey
4) to submit to one’s control
5) to yield to one’s admonition or advice
6) to obey, be subject
These words are very descriptive. Are we subordinate to God in our actions? It is easy to say, “Yes I am certainly subordinate to God.” However, the real test is not in what we say but what we do. As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.” What do your actions say about who is subordinate in your relationship with God.
What are you subject to in your life? We use this term to describe limitations. We may be subject to a schedule or a financial situation. Do we allow God and his Word to limit our actions? Is the power of God limited in our lives by our actions?
Who is in control where your life is concerned? Are you in control? Are your emotions in control? How about your desires? Are they in control? If we want to possess our land, God and his Word must be in complete control of our lives.
Finally, do we yield to God’s “advice” in our actions? I put the word “advice” in quotes because advice that comes from God is really a commandment. However, we often listen to the advice of friends, relatives and even the world but reject the “advice” of the Word of God. Of course, we do not reject this advice with our words; we reject it with our actions. How can I tell which advice I am accepting? I accept the advice or commandment that I obey.
I do not believe we should develop an “I’m no good” attitude. I do not believe in condemnation. I simply believe we must take an honest look at our actions and make the adjustment necessary to be more submitted to God. If we do, there is a promise we can claim. When we resist the devil, he will flee from us.
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