BONUS DAY 2

STRENGTH IN SUBMISSION

FRANKLIN MCMANUS, ASSISTANT YOUTH PASTOR

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. —James 4:7

Submission is a word many of us are uncomfortable with. The idea of bending our will to the will of another is unbearable. We have often heard the word submission used in a negative context; when you submit to someone, you are losing to them. However, this definition of submission was never God’s intention for the concept of submission.

In this verse in James, we all would like the latter part to happen to us, for the devil to leave us alone. No one wants bad things to happen to them or others, and when circumstances are not going well, we are quick to complain. We want to resist the devil, but sometimes, what we do in actuality is resist God. Maybe this isn’t intentional or spiteful, but sometimes our routine gets in the way, and we have big plans. We might have a plan for every detail of our day or even our life, and submitting to God somehow feels much harder now.

When I was in high school, I attended the Bold Conference in Kansas City. During worship, a girl I didn’t know stood in front of me, and she did something that caught my attention. She kept raising her left hand in worship, singing the songs and praising God. In her right hand was her phone, and she kept looking down at it, texting what I assume was her boyfriend, where she kept sending hearts and messages like “I just wish I was with you.” Her attention was all on Jesus in one moment, and in the next moment, she would look down, taking all her attention away, and putting it on someone else.

This story is an example of being unable to submit our full attention to God; our attention is divided. In one moment on a Sunday morning, our complete devotion is given to God, and then what follows is a whole week of devotion to ourselves. When that is the case, what we are submitting to is the desires of our heart. Submitting to God is no easy task because it requires something from us; it requires us to give up our will and our need to be our own savior.

There are many times in our lives when we struggle with things. In those situations our first inclination is to listen to the second part of the verse to resist the devil. However, We usually forget the first part, to submit first to God. The next verse in this passage highlights the importance of our proximity with God, and when we submit to Him, we are able to draw near to Him.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. —James 4:8a

What we often try to do when things are going wrong in our lives, when we get devastating medical news, have severed relationships with our loved ones, or struggle with a sin issue, is try so hard to run away from the source of evil. However, we never run in the direction of God, draw near to him, and find our refuge in him. We try hard to avoid struggles in life, but we never focus on submitting our will and situations to God. When we fix our eyes on God and how we can draw closer to Him, we are not just running from something but to something. This change breaks the frustrating, endless cycle of running and allows us to find rest in submission to God.

Today, I want to challenge you to stop whatever you are doing and whatever you might be running from. Slow down today, submit your will and plan for the day to God, ask Him what he wants to do with your life, and listen. If anything is weighing heavy on your heart, try submitting it to God this morning. Talk to God about what you are going through and hold nothing back; be honest with God. When you are all done letting go and submitting, praise Him for allowing you to draw near to Him.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, Search me and know my thoughts. What is Your will for my life? Teach me how to submit my time to You because it is Your time first. I submit to You my day, my agenda, and all of the tasks I have to get done. I give You permission to slow me down and fixate my eyes on You. Uproot any sin or bitterness I may have in my heart; I submit my desire to fix it all on my own. You deserve all of my praise and worship. You are Holy, I love You, and thank You for

drawing near to me today. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.