Empowered Submission: Resisting the Devil with God's Word

Devotional

Day 1: Submission as the Foundation of Spiritual Strength

Submission to God is the essential first step in resisting the devil's influence. Without aligning ourselves under God's authority, we lack the power to stand against the devil's schemes. Submission is not about losing control but about acknowledging that God is in control of our lives. This act of submission empowers us because it aligns us with God's strength, making it a battle between God and the devil, not just us alone. When we submit, we invite God's presence and power into our lives, enabling us to resist the devil effectively. [01:14]

James 4:7-8 (ESV): "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find it difficult to submit to God's authority? How can you begin to surrender this area to Him today?

Day 2: Spiritual Readiness Through Relationship

Jesus demonstrated the importance of being spiritually prepared before facing the devil. In Matthew 4, He fasted and strengthened His relationship with the Father, showing that spiritual readiness is crucial in overcoming temptation. This preparation involves deepening our relationship with God, which equips us to face spiritual battles with confidence. By prioritizing our spiritual health and connection with God, we can stand firm against the devil's attacks, knowing that we are not alone in the fight. [02:46]

Matthew 4:1-2 (ESV): "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry."

Reflection: How can you intentionally strengthen your relationship with God this week to prepare for spiritual challenges you may face?

Day 3: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Warfare

The devil cannot withstand God's Word. Knowing and using Scripture is essential in spiritual warfare. We are encouraged to have "Bible studies with the devil," using God's truth as our weapon. This requires us to be authentic in our faith, not just putting on a spiritual facade. By immersing ourselves in Scripture, we equip ourselves with the truth that can counter the devil's lies and temptations. God's Word is a powerful tool that can guide us, protect us, and help us stand firm in our faith. [03:42]

Ephesians 6:17 (ESV): "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Reflection: What specific Scripture can you memorize this week to use as a weapon against the devil's lies in your life?

Day 4: The Transformative Process of Repentance

Repentance involves recognition, remorse, and reversal. It is a process of acknowledging our failures, feeling genuine sorrow, and making a conscious decision to change direction, allowing God to empower us. This process allows God to support and empower us, rather than opposing us. Repentance is not just about feeling sorry for our sins but about turning away from them and moving towards God. It is a transformative process that brings us closer to God and strengthens our relationship with Him. [07:22]

Acts 3:19 (ESV): "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

Reflection: Is there a specific sin or habit you need to repent of today? What steps can you take to turn away from it and move towards God?

Day 5: Authentic Christian Living

We are called to be authentic Christians, living out our faith boldly and openly. Like a submarine that withstands external pressure due to its internal strength, we must have more of Jesus within us than the pressure from the world outside. God desires genuine followers who live out their faith with love and clarity, even when the world pressures us to leave Jesus out. By being authentic in our faith, we can stand firm in our beliefs and be a light to those around us. [14:09]

Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: In what ways can you live out your faith more authentically this week, despite the pressures of the world around you?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, the focus is on the importance of submission to God as the foundation for resisting the devil. The sequence is crucial: first, submit to God, then resist the devil. Without submission, we lack the power to effectively resist the devil's influence. Submission means coming under God's authority, acknowledging that He is in control of our lives. This act of submission empowers us because it aligns us with God's strength, making it a battle between God and the devil, not just us alone. Jesus exemplified this in Matthew 4, where He fasted and strengthened His relationship with the Father before facing the devil.

The devil is allergic to God's Word, not our personal opinions or feelings. Therefore, knowing and using Scripture is vital in our spiritual battles. We are encouraged to have "Bible studies with the devil," using God's Word as our weapon. This requires us to be authentic in our faith, not just putting on a spiritual facade. God desires genuine followers who live out their faith openly and boldly, not conforming to the world's pressures.

Repentance is key to drawing near to God. It involves recognizing our failures, feeling remorse, and making a conscious decision to change direction. This process allows God to support and empower us, rather than opposing us. We are called to be overt Christians, standing firm in our faith with love and clarity, even when the world pressures us to leave Jesus out. Like a submarine that withstands external pressure due to its internal strength, we must have more of Jesus within us than the pressure from the world outside.

Key Takeaways

1. Submission to God is the first step in resisting the devil. Without it, we lack the power to stand against the devil's schemes. Submission aligns us with God's authority, making it a battle between God and the devil, not just us alone. [01:14]
2. Jesus demonstrated the importance of being spiritually prepared before facing the devil. He fasted and strengthened His relationship with the Father, showing that spiritual readiness is crucial in overcoming temptation. [02:46]
3. The devil cannot withstand God's Word. Knowing and using Scripture is essential in spiritual warfare. We must engage in "Bible studies with the devil," using God's truth as our weapon. [03:42]
4. Repentance involves recognition, remorse, and reversal. It is a process of acknowledging our failures, feeling genuine sorrow, and making a conscious decision to change direction, allowing God to empower us. [07:22]
5. We are called to be authentic Christians, living out our faith boldly and openly. Like a submarine that withstands external pressure, we must have more of Jesus within us than the pressure from the world outside. [14:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:09] - Demonstrating Submission
[00:40] - The Order of Submission and Resistance
[01:14] - The Power of Submission
[02:29] - Jesus' Example of Spiritual Readiness
[03:16] - Using Scripture Against the Devil
[04:09] - Bible Studies with the Devil
[05:14] - The Feeling of Victory
[05:52] - Drawing Near to God
[06:35] - The Process of Repentance
[07:51] - Show and Tell Faith
[09:17] - Avoiding Spiritual Facades
[10:30] - Authentic Christian Living
[12:49] - Standing Firm in Faith
[14:09] - Internal Strength Against External Pressure
[14:41] - Taking a Stand for God

Sermon Clips

"Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The order is everything. It's not resist the devil and submit to God. It's submit to God and resist the devil because if you try to resist the devil having not already submitted to God, you don't have enough juice, you don't have enough power and potency to get him off of your back." [00:56:52]

"Jesus demonstrated the importance of being spiritually prepared before facing the devil. He fasted 40 days and 40 nights because he had a human, the Father had to be tight to deal with the devil who was going to show up. He didn't resist the devil without getting tight with God first." [02:32:40]

"Then you got to be willing to use the word you know because the devil is allergic to God's word. He's not allergic to you. I think I feel I want this is you know I just I was raised you know he can handle all that. What he can't handle is biblical truth." [03:37:55]

"Repentance involves a number of things. First of all, that must be the recognition that I have failed God, either overt sin or commission or omission. I fail God. I've not committed myself to him. The second thing after recognition is remorse. He says mourn. I hurt because I failed God." [06:52:08]

"After this recognition and remorse, there is reversal. It means God I'm a I'm gonna go I'm approached this differently. I'm going at this another way. I'm going to submit to you. I'm going to do a U-turn and I'm going to move in the right direction and that's when he no longer opposes you." [07:27:25]

"God's not after spiritual Spanx. What God is after is authentic people who now are showing the real them because this is how they roll. This Is How They Roll. They don't have to camouflage it because this is how I roll. I am a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I don't mind you knowing that." [10:26:04]

"We are to be overt Christians, not bombastic, not mean-spirited, not just forcing people but don't deny me anybody who can give me eternal life. God on the cross for me rose from the dead for me giving me heaven as a whole. Don't ask me to be quiet. Don't ask me not to represent." [12:49:20]

"The world is going to press you. It's going to try to get you to leave Jesus out, to kick him to the curb, to put him on the sideline, even to leave God out. Friendship with the world but don't buy that. Don't settle for the okie doke when Satan tries to get you to leave Jesus out." [13:20:48]

"A submarine can go way down. A boat can. A boat has to stay on the surface of the water because the further you go down in the sea of the ocean, the more pressure and the further you go down when you get more pressure, it can crush a boat but it won't crush your submarine." [13:45:00]

"The reason why it won't crush your submarine is a submarine that's pressurized. It's got more pressure on the inside than it's coming at it from the outside which is why you can't collapse a submarine. The further we go into this secular world, the more pressure the world is going to put on us." [14:08:39]

"Let us take our stand for God so that we don't lose his help and so that we individually and corporately can have more grace operating in our lives and all God's people said amen." [14:44:59]

"Submit therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. He says submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Let me say that slow. Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you." [00:28:48]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?