This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves [hupotasso] therefore [oun] to God [theos]. Resist [anthistemi] the devil [diabolos], and [kai] he will flee [pheugo] from [apo] you [humon]. KJV-Interlinear
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. NASB
Submit means not what you would think it means. Typically, we think of submit, as meaning to present yourself, or to surrender yourself in a passive or helpless fashion.
When we studied the Armageddon campaign, we saw that the Southern power, or the Arab states as we know them today, will submit to the Northern power, after the fashion of a woman forced onto her back and given no mercy by a an onslaught of men. And she does this in order to save herself, which she does not. This is a passive surrender with no attempt to get away.
Likewise, resist in this passage does not mean as you would think. Again, the Southern power was (or will in the future) resisting the Northern power, by fighting as best they could, but to no avail. This is an active attempt to fight off an attacker, but with no good results.
And in both of these examples, at the end of the Tribulation, the Southern power is the first of the four powers to vanish away from history, permanently.
But in this verse, submit, means to become proactive, to choose, to select, to give of ones self freely, to openly force oneself onto another. This is similar to a wife submitting to her husband, which does not carry the fist connotation, but the second. She openly and voluntarily chooses and pushes herself into her husband's life.
Likewise, we are to rush, attack, deeply desire, the Word of God, and hurry as though we might miss the last train, in order to get on board, and ride into our spiritual life.
Think of being the last to be chosen for a golden super jackpot prize, or a pile of doggie doo-doo. Think of having one last chance of eternal happiness or eternal terror. Think of coming extremely close to losing that thing you want the most in the whole wide world, where everything depends on your final and last decision or effort.
That is the mood, the panic, the fear of missing out, that you should display when pursuing your spiritual life. God has a mountain of gold, or a pile of doggie doo-doo for you. Which would you want to receive?
That is the attitude that you should take toward God and His grace, because that is the reality of the blessing difference you will receive, or not receive, depending on your attitude toward God and your spiritual life. This is the attitude that you should take in the conduct of your daily life.
Resist the devil? Do we go out and buy guns and armor? Do we go out and burn all witches and bad guys? No.
This resistance is a passive one, not an active one. Our resistance is simply thinking doctrine, and not thinking wickedness. And, conducting or daily lives accordingly.
In both cases, evil and temptation will fade from your thinking, and Gods blessings will enter into your life.
