Submitting to God

6-6-16

Diving in once again in the book of James lol. It's short, but there's just SO much good info in there! Today, we'll be going over chapter 4, verses 1-12. In the comments below, feel free to state your opinions or if there's something you'd like me to go over. I'm always down for learning, conversing, and having a good read :D

So, lets dive right in shall we?

What causes fighting and arguing? Be it with family, friends, strangers...God himself.

• desire to have something you don't currently have
• not having your way
• not receiving the answer you want from God(because you asked with ulterior motives)
• being excessively proud instead of being humble

These are a few and very general answers to that. In verses 6-7 it reads(NIV version), "God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble. Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee".

Well, what exactly is submitting to God. Submit by definition reads, "accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person". You completely just go "i give up God, i'm stepping out of the way, i'm not even gunna care anymore. All this (emotion[s]) i feel right now, what's going on with (object or person[s]), i'm laying it at your feet and walking away. You can handle it in a more reasonable and efficient manner than i can ever think of. So, here you go big guy. i'm washing my hands of it. YOU let ME know if there's anything on my end I need to do".

Spouse giving you issues on your beliefs? submit to God, duck out the way, and let God punch them in the face for you. The best thing you can do you for your spouse, it's to just stand back and pray.

Car acting up and you're already tight on funds? Submit it God. Cast every single worry on him and watch him do his thing. You might all of a sudden feel the need to call and vent to a certain person. Next thing you know, that person is lending you the money. Your taxes might of dropped into your bank account at just the right moment. You can say the fix is to expensive, feeling completely and totally defeated and God might land you a better deal with that same shop or somewhere else. Or, you car and "magically" fix itself and you dont have to worry about it at all.

By no means am I trying to say, "ok God, i submit all my bills and responsibilities on you. here you go!" then not pay bills or go to work. That's not how it works. When Adam and Eve were banished from the garden of Eden, God said we were gunna have to work and earn our keep from now on. We still have to do our part. He's our support system so to speak.

Resist the devil. The devil wants you to worry, to fight, be distracted, break God's laws, even so low as to killing one another. All because he works his way in and flips a few switches in your head, whispering in your ear that just drives you up the wall. Be it jealous of someone elses car, wife, how someone else has more money than you, how they seem to have this picture perfect life and you got stuck with rotten hotdogs, etc. Resist these urges and ways of thinking, submit and pray to God, and the devil will have to leave. If you take 1 step towards God, he'll take 10 steps towards you. Don't get distracted by friends or conformity. That's the low road. And a very rough one at that.

When we conform, love, put faith in worldly things, we're putting the other people and the world before God. When you put something above God, he takes it as a form of enmity. That he's being resented, that we're being hostile, or just down right spiteful! God jealously wants us to be with him. After all, he created us. Why wouldnt he get jealous when someone places something or someone else before him?

"But, arent we suppose to NOT be jealous? Why does God get to?" you say? Well, that all good and true, but here's the thing. What happens when WE get jealous? Usually 9 times out of 10, we act and lash out. "you lookin at my girl?!" *throat chop*(for example). We can get VERY hostile and act so negatively, we can more easily fall into sin. When we can fall into sin, the devil takes even the slightest inch, and runs a 5k marathon with it. God, on the other hand, might sigh a little. Your guardian angel might facepalm him/herself for the upteenth time that day. But God won't lash out. He'll calmly offer you back his hand time and time again. Being ever so patient and merciful. Granting us grace every single time. Eventually he'll be able to reach you and hold out his hand. This is where our free will comes into play. Either we accept his hand, or we essentially spit in face. But, that's a topic for another time in the near future.

Another thing to submit to God, is a judgmental spirit. Verses 11-12 read, "do not slander each other. anyone who speaks against a brother or sister, or judges them, speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you aren't keeping it, but sitting in judgement on it. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the ONE who is able to save and destroy. But you- who are you to judge your neighbor?"

Neighbor wants to sacrifice to satan? not your place to judge

Ringing up a customer who it's flamboyantly gay? not your place to judge

Found out your bff is a closet raging alcoholic? not your place to judge.

Saw a fellow church member cheating on their spouse? not your place to judge. 

Being judged for being judgmental? that's one of MANY of God's domains.

Am I saying all the above mentioned is ok, or to conform to it? no. i'm not. What i'm saying is we need to submit these same feelings to God, and let HIM deal with that. Our Job is to pray. Ask God for you and whoever to both have open minds and hearts, and ask God what HE wants you to do about it. If you wanna help someone, both you and that other persons heart and mind have to be just right and perfectly lined up with God for it to be effective. Shoot, That one person, might not even be your problem. That person could be for someone else to help. This is why we pray. So we can act according to GOD'S will, and not of the flesh(again another topic for another time). Just leave it to God. He'll tell/show you what you need to do at the correct moment.