How to Have a Powerful Life – Part 2

This is the time to be the most powerful in your walk with Jesus, and to shine the brightest with His Light in the relationships that surround you.

We are living in a world filled with confusion and mayhem, and some people are just not sure what is right or wrong, good or evil anymore.

So, what is a solution to these issues, at least in part?

The greater the love that people in the Body of Christ have for each other, the brighter Christ’s light will shine and the evil will have no choice but to retreat!

One of the first steps towards this level of love is:

“Submit to God, resist the enemy and he WILL flee!“

In submitting to God, you agree to receive His intense, abounding and passionate love for you. It’s a win, win! Why would you submit to god who doesn’t love you?

This verse in the YLT version of James 4:7 says, “be subject, then, to God; stand up against the devil, and he will flee from you;”

Interestingly, the word ‘subject’ here is the exact same word that is used in Luke 2:51 where Jesus ‘subjected’ himself to his earthly parents. It is also the same word where the disciples were boasting of the demons being ‘subject’ to them in Jesus’ Name, in Luke 10:17.

Being in submission to, or in subjection to does not mean under control. God in no way, shape, or form wants control of you. That’s why you have free will.

(I wrote a post here on the difference between submission and surrender. Believe it or not, there is a very big difference.)

God is a God of order. The way things are written in the Bible, He ordered on purpose so it’s a good idea to take notice.

So, the first thing you are to do is SUBMIT to God, be SUBJECT unto Him, to YIELD to and OBEY Him.

What does that look like practically?

Assume the correct position

Have you seen the very traditional churches that have the wooden pews and the tiled floors? For certain parts of the service, the congregation would have to kneel on the floor. It was ok if there was a cushion but if there wasn’t, kneeling was a pretty painful exercise.

It has only been in recent times that I have begun to understand why these churches engage in this practice. The physical action of kneeling down has a great spiritual representation of the position of where our hearts, minds, bodies, spirits and souls should be.

It’s a position of humility.

This needs to be the position of your heart, your mind, your spirit … bowed down in humility and in submission before King Jesus.

Now, this is NOT scary. Imagine that you live in a beautiful kingdom where the king loves his subjects with such intensity that you are never without a thing that you need. Food and clothing are always available, abundant shelter is provided, you are safe and protected within the confines of the kingdom. If you have a problem, the king has an open door policy where you can speak with him at any time and he has the answer to every single question that you ask. Not only that, he has at his disposal every resource that you could ever need to fulfil the calling that has been placed in you – all you need to do is ask for it and it is yours. The king can connect you with people who can help you accomplish any good thing that you desire. Even more than that, he will hold you and comfort you when you are having a challenging situation and are hurting most deeply. He will cry with you and let you know how much he cares. He even has the power to heal your heart!

This is the King you serve – today!

It’s King Jesus.

That’s who you submit to. God the Father, King Jesus and Holy Spirit are One. You submit to One, you submit to them all.

Who do you agree with?

Satan is called the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44). He can’t help himself. That’s who he is. When temptation comes and he lies to you and plants those thoughts in your head of, “It’s OK, no-one will find out.” Or, “Just have one more chocolate, one more drink, one more joint, it won’t hurt you.” Or better yet, “God doesn’t really love you. You are all alone and no-one cares at all. You aren’t worth it and you’ll never be good at anything.”

These are all outright lies but because they are thoughts, you can let them stay in your mind and begin to agree with them if you aren’t careful.

“Just one more would be OK.”

“Maybe no-one does care. Maybe I am really alone. Maybe this is it.”

Once we do that, actions follow and sin begins to entrap us.

This is where it is important to ‘resist the devil’ right from the start. What are you resisting? The thoughts that he plants in your mind.

You are resisting to think like the devil!

You HAVE the mind of Christ now. Not in the future but now. You have the capacity to think like Jesus. This is why it is imperative that you read the Word of God and spend time listening to Jesus speak to you personally. He also does this through thoughts and a multitude of other ways.

This is why Paul says in 2 Cor 10:5 (TPT) that we “… capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.”

When you take your thoughts captive, you resist coming into agreement with the lies of the enemy and then he has to flee. He hasn’t got anything to hold onto you with.

That’s why it is crucial to your life to believe the truth of what God says about you and what you believe about Him.

In summary:

Submit to God – bow your heart, your will, your life before Him. Trust that He has only the best plans for you, receive His love and trust in His protection, provision and guidance.

Resist the devil – don’t let his lies stay in your mind. Believe the truth of what God says in His Word and through His thoughts in your mind. Know who your Heavenly Father is and know who you are.

The devil will flee – when you don’t come into agreement with his lies, he has nothing to come at you with. He has to leave you until a more opportune time … another time, another lie.

You serve a victorious God who has already defeated Satan. You can trust Him!

Do you find it easy to submit to God? What do you think is holding you back? Maybe you have a challenging relationship with your earthly father so you find it difficult to relate to a Heavenly Father that is all good. Let me encourage you to step out and take a risk today. God is truly the only One that you can trust. He will never let you down because He knows best!
Please leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Next time is Part 3. This is just as crucial as the first 2 parts. It’s about forgiving God and forgiving yourself. It might surprise you but this is an important key in moving forward in your relationship with the Father.

Until then, many blessings to you as always.

How to Have a Powerful Life – Part 1

How to Have a Powerful Life – Part 3

(Photo Credit: www.canva.com)