Winning Your Personal War With Satan (2)

        
'Submit yourselves therefore to God...' James 4:7 KJV

One of the hardest things in life is bringing your mind under God's control. As a young believer I would constantly be in this fight; sometimes I'd win and other times I'd lose. Eventually I began to understand that being 'self-controlled and alert' to Satan's strategies empowers you to be proactive in your personal war with him (1 Peter 5:8 NIV). Listen because this next step is crucial. The art of war follows set rules of engagement. If you're losing more than winning, then you may have omitted this vital rule: 'Submit yourselves therefore to God.' Salvation doesn't enroll you in a club for the religious elite; it enlists you in the army of the Lord. And this war isn't just about you - it's also about your King, His rulership and authority, and who acknowledges it. Kingdom power is only given by the King to His subjects. To win this battle you must recognise your King and submit to Him. The Roman centurion who met Christ and asked for his help understood this. 'I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go," and he goes; and that one, "Come,"' and he comes...' (Luke 7:8 NIV) He recognised that he, like Jesus, got his power by submitting to authority. Submitting yourself to Jesus is what gives you the power to battle Satan successfully. Don't hurl yourself into the battle. Instead, recognise Christ's authority and submit to it because it's the submitted life that overcomes. At the point of your temptation, seize the moment and surrender yourself to Jesus, the King of kings, who said, '...All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth.' (Matthew 28:18 NKJV) Under His authority you discover that victory over Satan comes, '..."Not by [human] might nor by [human] power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts.' (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV) You are loved!