🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ Why the Devil Won’t Leave You Alone

Scripture: James 4:7 KJV

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Devotion :

Have you ever heard somebody say:

“The devil made me do it!” 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

Let me share a simple truth with you.

IN ORDER FOR THE DEVIL TO DESTROY OR TRIP YOU UP, HE NEEDS YOUR COOPERATION.

He cannot make you do anything.

YOU HAVE TO AGREE TO IT.

Think about some of the things you’ve done that you KNOW you shouldn’t have done.

You had a choice not to go there.

Not to say that.

Not to send that text.

Not to sleep with that person.

Not to tell that lie.

Not to entertain that thought.

Not to retaliate.

Not to participate in that conversation.

Not to click on that.

Not to go back.

But…

YOU DID IT.

👀

So really, all the devil did was INVITE YOU TO IT.

He presented the opportunity.

Sent temptation your way.

Started talking to your mind.

Tried to sell it to you.

Tried to convince you that it wouldn’t hurt.

“Just this once.”

“Nobody will know.”

“You deserve it.”

“Go ahead and say it.”

“They did it to you first.”

“God will forgive you anyway.”

Whewww! 😮‍💨

CHEW ON THAT FOR A MOMENT.

Many of us will proudly say:

“I’M SOLD OUT TO GOD!”

“I’M GOD’S CHILD!”

We like claiming that one! 😂🙌🏽

But then the devil makes an offer…

and sometimes we still take him up on it.

A humble, submitted believer responds differently to the devil’s offers.

They learn how to stand firm and say:

NO.

Let’s look closely at today’s Scripture because James gives us a very clear strategy:

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Notice the order.

FIRST: SUBMIT TO GOD.

Then:

RESIST THE DEVIL.

And then:

HE WILL FLEE.

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

If you want to be able to tell the devil NO, the first thing you must do is:

SUBMIT YOURSELF TO GOD!

The Greek word translated “submit” here is hypotassō.

It carries the idea of placing or arranging yourself under proper authority.

Hypo means under, and tassō carries the idea of arranging, appointing, or putting in order.

So let me make that plain:

GET UNDER GOD’S AUTHORITY AND STAY THERE.

🙌🏽🔥

Think of a soldier aligning himself under his commander.

He doesn’t enter the battle saying:

“I’ll follow the command if I agree with it.”

No!

He’s under authority.

God says forgive?

FORGIVE.

God says flee sexual immorality?

FLEE.

God says tell the truth?

TELL THE TRUTH.

God says don’t retaliate?

DON’T RETALIATE.

God says leave it alone?

LEAVE IT ALONE!

Submission isn’t:

“God, I’ll obey You when Your instructions match what I already wanted to do.”

That’s not submission. 😂

Submission says:

“GOD, YOU ARE MY AUTHORITY. YOUR WAY OVERRIDES MY WAY.”

And hear me:

A person cannot be truly submitted to God in the very area where they are choosing to give in to the devil.

At that moment, somebody else’s suggestion is being followed.

👀 Whewww!

God would never instruct you to give in to the enemy.

GOD WANTS YOU TO WIN!

Let that sink in.

Then James gives us the second instruction:

RESIST THE DEVIL!

Resistance means you OPPOSE him.

You don’t cooperate.

You don’t entertain.

You don’t negotiate.

You don’t keep opening the door and then complain because he keeps walking through it.

YOU RESIST!

And the Scripture says:

“…and he will flee from you.”

WHEWWWW! 😮‍💨🔥

HE WILL FLEE!

So if the enemy keeps presenting the same temptation, stop showing him that IT WORKS.

I’m going to say that again.

THE ENEMY WILL USE THE SAME THING AGAINST YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN AS LONG AS IT’S WORKING!

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

If every time that person texts you late at night, you answer…

Why would the temptation stop coming?

If every time somebody makes you angry, you immediately cuss them out, retaliate, post about them, or send a nasty message…

You just showed exactly what button can be pushed.

If every time you feel lonely, you run back to the same relationship God delivered you from…

Guess what temptation is likely to show up the next time you’re lonely?

THE SAME ONE.

Because you haven’t shown resistance.

Resistance looks like:

“NO. I DON’T DO THAT ANYMORE.”

Delete the number.

Leave the room.

Close the app.

End the conversation.

Stop going there.

Call somebody who will help hold you accountable.

Open your Bible.

Pray.

Remove access.

Change the routine.

STOP MAKING IT EASY FOR TEMPTATION TO FIND A YES.

🔥🔥🔥

And please understand something:

Being tempted does not mean you’ve already sinned.

Even Jesus was tempted.

The issue is what you do when temptation arrives.

The devil can make the offer…

BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY IT!

😂👏🏽

Somebody needs to realize today:

You have been giving the enemy more authority than he actually has.

You’re saying:

“The devil keeps making me…”

No.

Today we’re taking responsibility.

I HAVE A CHOICE.

Through God’s strength, I can say NO.

I can obey God.

I can walk away.

I can resist.

And if I fall, I can repent, get back up, learn where I gave temptation access, and strengthen that area.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO KEEP LOSING THE SAME FIGHT.

So why won’t the devil leave you alone?

Maybe he’s learned that if he keeps knocking on a certain door…

EVENTUALLY YOU OPEN IT.

👀

It’s time to change the response.

Submit yourself to God.

Resist the devil.

And what does the Bible say will happen?

HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU!

WHEWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥🔥🔥

That’s the answer.

That’s the solution.

SUBMIT TO GOD.

RESIST THE DEVIL.

Stop cooperating with the very thing you’re asking God to deliver you from.

You are going to start winning when you learn how to do this.

God bless you! 🙏🏽💙

Reflect & Respond

Think about the temptation or sinful pattern that keeps showing up in your life.

Ask yourself:

Where am I still cooperating with it?

What invitation do I keep accepting?

What door do I need to close?

What has God already told me to do that I need to obey?

Then make your response clear:

“I SUBMIT TO GOD, AND I RESIST THIS.”

If you would like me to send you the homework activity for this devotion to help you practice submitting to God and resisting the devil, request it in the chat.

Prayer :

Father God, help me completely submit myself to You. Give me strength to resist the devil when temptation comes. Help me stop cooperating with anything that pulls me away from You. Teach me to obey Your Word, stand firm, and say NO when the enemy makes an offer. I want Your will more than I want temporary satisfaction.

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙

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