My last few letters have been dealing with the rapture of the Church from this world, and last week I made the comment that we would continue our look at this interesting subject. As I sit here reading over my last two letters on the rapture, I have come to the conclusion that I have covered it as much as I can at this present time.
My son has sent me some information about several people who have written or preached on this in the distance past of the last century. Maybe after I read more about what they had to say I will continue with my thoughts on this world changing event that is the next prophetic thing to happen on Gods timeline of things to come.
So today I want to begin a look at James 4:7, where he writes “submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.” KJV
Now I want to write down this same verse using the Message Bible translation, “so let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and He will be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit rock bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before your Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
Great sounding words, right? But just how do you get there knowing how we live our lives daily? Good question, one that we all ask at times. The simple answer is to know who you are in Christ Jesus. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21, Galatians 2:20, Roman’s 8:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 2:10, 1 John 3:1-2, Colossians 3:3, and many others. I won’t write them down, but you will want to read and apply them to your own lives.
To be effective in this race of life we are in, requires us to be focused on the path we are running on and not choose the wrong path by being distracted by something other than the will of God. Whenever we get off the narrow path of our race and follow the worlds wide, well paved path, we will lose sight of who we are and what we are supposed to be doing.
This allows our carnal, fleshy side to try and regain the ground it has lost when we were doing what God wanted. This allows our carnal will to once again try to get up on our throne, and try to rule once again. When we give up our carnal will, and accept God’s will for us, then He becomes the one who occupies our throne by our new birth or life in Christ Jesus.
But how do we resist? The only correct answer I can give you is look at James 4:7 once again. What does it mean to submit? This word in the Greek is hupotasso, 5293 in Strongs Concordance. It means to be subordinate, to obey, to be under obedience, be subject to, to be put in subjection. Great sounding words, but what does it mean to us modern day believers?
Mr. Webster explains that to be obedient is to be submissive to restraint or command of authority. To be obedient implies compliance with the demands or request of one in authority. To be submissive means to yield oneself to the authority or will of another. Our question to ourselves should be, am I willing to lay aside my own will and accept His will as my own?
So much of our walk as Christians or follower’s of Jesus, is laying aside our inferior wills, for the perfect will of God for us, which is far better than we can ever imagine. We are children of God once we accept and believe on Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, so we must begin our training as His child as we grow and mature in His word. That’s why we need to read and study the Bible daily, as it is our manual of how to live this life we have begun at our new birth.
Once we learn to submit our wills to God, then the resisting becomes easier, because we know that the Bible tells us that our enemy will flee before us. Do you know why he runs away? This is my interpretation of why he runs, and it is one that will challenge your way of thinking to be sure.
Ephesians 6:13-17 gives us a look at the very armor of God, that we are supposed to put on daily. I will paraphrase Paul’s words; our loins are to be girt about with truth, we are to put on the breastplate of righteousness, our feet are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we are to take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and carry the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We also need to look at 1 Peter 5:5, where he tells us to clothe ourselves with humility. This covers our nakedness and the armor protects us from harm. “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less” C.S. Lewis
What is the truth? John 14:6 Jesus said unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
What is righteousness? 1 Corinthians 1:30, “But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
What does it mean to have our feet shod with the gospel of peace? To always be ready to share the good news of Jesus that God loves you just as you are.
What is the shield of faith? It is something we can use to defend ourselves with from anything that the enemy sends towards us. Hebrews 11:1
What does a helmet do? It protects our head from being hit by an offensive weapon, your mind is being renewed daily by the word of God as you read and apply it. Romans 12:2
The last part of God’s armor is the only offensive weapon we need to resist the enemy who has dared to attack us. This is the Word of God, our Bible. We are to use it skillfully as our Lord Jesus did in Matthew 1-11. Also Hebrews 4:12 tells us how powerful it is.
So when we put on our armor daily and go about our activities, we all look alike. We look like God, and He looks like us. The enemy does not know who he is preparing to attack. Is it God? Or is it the child of God? It sounds like God, it looks like God, so it must be God. He turns to flee as he can’t be sure who he is attacking.
I hope this helps you in you race towards home as you are greatly loved by God, so much so, that He gave you His armor to protect you while you are racing to the end of your race. Always remember, you will make it, just don’t give up.
In His Service As Kilted Priest
The Kilted Priest 