HOW TO OVERCOME THE DEVIL & HIS DEVICES
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The bible in James 4:7 gives us very simple instructions to follow in order to overcome the devil and his tricks. This is what it says: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. To submitmeans to commit, to revere, to respect, listen to & obey, honor or hold in high regard a person/power; to accept or yield to a superior force or to the will/authority of another person. In this particular passage, what are we asked to submit? If you replied “yourselves” then you are correct. This means that ‘submission’ in this context is an Individual thing. It is a personal self-examination/evaluation.
‘Yourself’ consists of SPIRIT, MIND & BODY as separate entities and yet as a collective whole.
MIND being the cognitive and non-cognitive aspects and all its games/tricks
BODY being all physicality, secularity, worldly aspects included in living life itself. Remember, all that is in the world really falls under 3 categories if you stop to give it a little thought: The LUST of the EYE; The PRIDE of LIFE; The LUST of the FLESH (1 John2:16) “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”.
SPIRIT being all that pertains to and/or is of the spirit.
Life is spiritual!!
- Battles are devised, fought and won in the spiritual realm
- Victories are secured in the spiritual realm
- Manifestations of spiritual battles: losses and victories are evident in the physical realm
The WHOLE ARMOR of God provided us by Christ Jesus and spoken of by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18, must be worn at all times.
The LOINS should be held together with the Belt of TRUTH - a weak loin suggests falling down regularly, difficulty moving, standing and so on.
From the Belt of Truth hangs the BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Breastplate of Righteousness is a protective gear shielding vital organs such as the heart and lungs.
The FEET must be covered and protected with PEACE. This type of shoes describes our walk.
The HEAD needs the helmet of SALVATION – the mind must be saved and remain in subjection to the Holy Spirit to prevent the erection of strongholds by Satan. Scripture tells us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) and “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). If one digs a bit deeper into the mind one will find why the devil seeks to build a fortress/stronghold there. The MIND is a very important aspect of the person since what a person says or does depends totally on the thought – thoughts originate from the MIND. If the mind is evil – the thought breeds animosity, deception and every evil thing; the words spoken are hate, venomous, lies, cold, cruel; actions will demonstrate fights, wars, strife. However, when the MIND is saturated with God’s SALVATION then the opposite is what is produced. Thoughts: are pure, honest, true. Words: are kind, gentle, full of love and comfort and actions demonstrate peace, righteousness, goodness, patience and so on.
The ARM which is extended in battle will need to be used to in FAITH to block the fiery darts of Satan. The HAND is the body part for war “Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” (Psalm 144:1).
In the HAND is held the WORD of GOD which is the Sword of the Spirit. The Logos from which emits the Rema is the weapon held in the Christian’s hand. “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Submission to God is easier penned or said than done since there is a constant battle going on, but it is the only way to be an Overcomer. Once you have submitted yourself unto the Lord, the battle with your marriage, your finances, your boss & co-workers, your family, children, is conceded. Again, the woman who has learned how to submit to God will have no trouble submitting to her husband. Likewise, the husband who has learned how to submit to God will have little trouble loving his wife as Christ loves the church. Furthermore, the man/woman whose relationship with God is sustained by the power and the influence of the Holy Ghost will go on to succeed at his/her job and be promoted in his church.
This world has experienced the preaching of the word extensively and I am confident that the word of God is preached beyond saturation. The problem is the application of the Word of God to our daily lives. Let us hasten to APPLY the word of God to our daily life!!!! It will bring VICTORY on every front.
PRAYER
Oh! Father in heaven, thanks again for sending Jesus Christ, the embodiment of your love for me. Thanks for the Holy Spirit whom you have given to me. He is not just my Enabler, He is the Author of the Word and, therefore, the Interpreter of the Word. Please help me to understand your word and in so doing make thy word applicable in my daily life. Your words are TRUE; they are YEA, and AMEN. Grant me the wisdom to seek after you and to walk in obedience to thy word In Jesus’ name I pray Amen.