“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (NIV)
What is God saying?
When we fully surrender our lives to God, the devil will have no power over us and will have to leave us alone.
What is God saying to us today?
We don’t like to naturally submit to anyone else but our own will. On the occasions that we do have to submit to the will of our bosses, teachers, families, etc., we often do so begrudgingly, muttering quietly under our breath. On the other hand, we don’t like sinning – specifically the guilt and shame that come along with it. Yet God is saying here that submission to Him is foundational if we want to not give in to our temptations. At a basic level, sin is acting like we know better than God. So, every time the devil tempts us he is inviting us to defy God. But, when we are already completely submitted to God, we give the devil no room to work with, because there will be zero appeal for us to defy Him.
What is God inviting us to do?
Do you feel like you need some extra spiritual power in your life? God invites us to fully turn the power that we do have over to Him, because when we do He uses His incomprehensible power to gain the victory over the devil and his temptations.