Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7
Have you ever watched a master potter at work? Perhaps you have “kicked the wheel” yourself. Either way, you know it takes skill to develop the pot, bowl, or plate. At the potter’s wheel, a lump of clay can be turned into something beautiful. Isaiah declares that you are but clay in the hands of the Potter (Isaiah 64:8), who is your Heavenly Father Himself. He takes that lowly lump of clay—you—making it useful for His own purposes. As that lump of clay, your participation in what God is doing is submitting yourself to His hands.
In today’s verse from James, submit is a military term, a basic requirement of obedience to a superior or commander. It is a matter of will and of attitude. Dr. Grant Richison, a Bible expositor and commentary writer, said, “The heart of pride is self-sufficiency. A phenomenal pride thinks that we can get along without God. Humility, on the other hand, recognizes the need to depend on God. Humility empties self of self-sufficient independence from God.”
The other side of the basic command to submit is to resist the devil. That is, do not align yourself with him. Submit to God first, then resist. There is no neutral zone. Stand against your enemy decisively. When you fear the Lord, you will not fear the devil. Theologian Warren Wiersbe writes that to resist means “literally to stand against, to withstand, to act in opposition. … An army resists the progress of an enemy actively, by encountering and defanging it.”
Richison reminds you, “We cannot prevail over a supernatural person in our own strength and by our own sufficiency. We must submit to God because we need His resources. “ Victory in the spiritual battles of your Christian life comes through submitting to God’s authority. Pray the words of this old hymn today: “Have Thine own way, Lord; have Thine own way. Thou are the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still.”
Today’s Verse: James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: James 4:1-10
4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
