Seek after God's will and submit to Him.

Don’t seek after your will, seek after God’s will and submit to Him. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

To submit is to place yourself under the authority of another. Submitting to God is to place our lives under His authority and will for us. The story of Jesus Christ teaches us about true submission. In Mark 14:36 we are told that Jesus prayed, “not what I will Father but what You will”. At this point, Christ was submitting to the Father’s will to become accursed for bearing the sins of His people (Galatians 3:13). His prayer shows that submitting to God’s will isn’t automatic, but intentional.

As believers, we must submit to God always. There isn’t “just this once” option for us. There wasn’t one for Jesus Christ and there isn’t one for us either. Imagine Jesus saying that, “I have submitted to you all my life but not this time”. Why? Because he didn’t feel like it or didn’t want it. Just imagine!

Submitting to God’s will is what makes us true Christians. Like James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." When you submit to God’s will, you submit to His power and come under His authority. Now, when you come under God’s authority, you resist the devil and he flees. When you are aligned with God’s will, positioned under His power and authority, no power or force or spirit can stand against your command.

The submitted life represents the King. Luke 10:19 says, “Behold, I give unto you power…over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” But even beyond authority and obedience, true submission is about a relationship of love and respect. When we submit, we seek the interest of the one we submit to, and not ours. Submitting to God is the beginning of godliness and moral character.

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