Submit

It is so much easier to blog about my kids and family but I thought today I would write about some good things that I'm continuing to get from my study on the book of James.

James 4:7-9

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

The concept of submitting for me brings to light my own control issues that I'm trying to shed.  When I'm trying to control, I'm not submitting and not drawing near to God.  When I resist God's direction, I'm trusting that my ways are better/best and giving Satan room to be involved in my life.  This study makes me look at being deliberate in what I'm resisting and what I'm drawing near to. 

Beth Moore ended our homework assignment on these verses we some wonderful truths. 

Satan doesn't have to convince you and me to do his will for our life.  He only has to tempt us to demand our own.  God has something bigger for each of us than our human minds can hug.  Something eternal. Something that will still matter when our bones have turned to heaps of dust.

• God knows everything about you and every matter concerning you.  Nothing is hidden from His sight.  So submit to God.
• He is always looking out for your ultimate good and takes your hurts personally. So submit to God.
• He is holy and worthy and incapable of abusing His divine authority over you.  So submit to God.
• He knows when our motive was right but your mouth messed up.  So submit to God.
• He knows exactly how to work terrible into good.  So submit to God. 
• He loves you completely and unconditionally and will never let you go.  So submit to God.
• He knows the well-deliberated plan for your life and how all things must fall into place for you to fulfill your destiny.  So submit to God.
• He will never put to shame those who trust in Him.  So submit to God.

The Devil is trying to steal from you and destroy you and make it look like it was all your idea.  So submit to God.(page 143)

Again and again, the theme is not to follow my own advice and desires.  His plan and will is always the best. 

The video session that we watched today also touched on verse 9.  The verse seems backwards, as typically we think of choosing joy.  She laid out 4 things when it is appropriate to turn our joy into gloom.

• When we've consciously traded the joys of the Lord for the highs of the world.
• When we don't take God seriously.
• When we're arrogant in or about our sin.
• When ridiculing sincere believers is our idea of hilarious.

I have told some of my close friends that there are many times that I'm at the foot of the cross where I need to be, but am kicking and screaming.  As I find myself letting go of myself/control, I'm finding it more comfortable to be on my knees at the foot of the cross.  Kicking and screaming only leaves me tired:)