Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:7-8a
The Most Important Step in Spiritual Warfare
If you have an electrical appliance but don’t plug it in it will be of no use. Without power it is just taking up space. We have to plug it in or charge it for it to have the power to work right. When we are thinking about spiritual warfare and the steps to getting prepared for the battle, we must remember the first and most important step – submit to God. If we are not submitted to God we are on our own, without the power we need.
The enemy has no power over us but his attempts make it seem like he does. As born again believers we have new authority in our lives – Jesus – who has all authority in heaven and earth. We operate under his authority. In fact we do everything under his authority – For in him we live and move and have our being… Acts 17:28 Satan’s attempts can make it seem like he has power over does not hold final authority. Jesus holds the victory over him and therefore, we do as well.
When we submit to God we make him our authority for everything in our lives. When we are not fully submitted to him we are not fully under his authority. We cannot have his full protection. We will not know the full life he has planned for us. We do not have the full power of the Holy Spirit inside us. When we are not fully submitted to him there is a separation – a chink in the armor – and that can be deadly to a soldier. His power in us fills in all the gaps and fortifies the barrier so the enemy cannot get in.
For the believer it all comes down to how connected we stay to God. Nothing works without that connection, just like an electrical appliance that is not plugged into the power. When we are connected to the power source, his power flows through us. It fills us and empowers us in his name. Without being connected to him we cannot do anything. Connection to him is everything for us. And that connection has to happen continuously. It is not a one time event. It is not something that happens once at the time of our salvation and we never have to do it again. It requires consistent intentionality.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you… Something will reign over our lives and if we are not submitting to God as believers, we are not only not able to resist the devil, but we are submitting to him in a way as we are submitting to anything other than God. He loves that.
When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. When we invite Him close, He always accepts our invitation and in return promises to come close to us. Submitting to his authority comes first and then you will be able to resist the devil, but then we have the beautiful two way exchange – an invitation for us to draw near to God and a promise he will draw near to us. This is the connection we need to walk through this life.
What are some real ways we can draw near to God every day? First of all - invite him! Ask him to come near to you, to be with you. Then read and study his word, communicate with him through prayer and find community and accountability with other believers.
