My will for God's? Deal.

Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. ~James 4:7,8,10

I'm finding I really love a lot of the book of James.  These three verses today really taught me something both beautiful and powerful, illustrated by the following points.

1. We have power over the devil. This life is a test, not a trap.
2. God responds when we seek Him. The word doesn't say, "Draw near unto God, and He'll consider drawing near to you". It is a certainty. When we truly draw near to God, He responds by closing all of the distance you'll allow Him to. Every time. If He doesn't seem any closer, double-check Who you believe God is. If you attribute to Him characteristics He doesn't have, you'll be drawing near unto something else.
3. Submission to God, humbling ourselves before Him, is the path to being lifted up by Him. We cannot lift ourselves, EVER, and still be in right alignment with the One who descended below all things, showing us the true path of leadership.

I want to talk about number three for a bit today. As I was reading this passage and recording some thoughts about it, I wrote that we humble ourselves by giving our will, our personal power, to God as we submit to Him. Because He is perfectly just, we receive again what we have given: His gives us His will, and His power to carry it out.

What a trade!

The devil is not so just nor so honest in his dealings. When we give him our will and power, he uses it to please himself, to wreak havoc, to hurt us, others, and the heart of God, stealing, killing and destroying, leaving us empty and alone.

The sweet peace, the comfort, the joy, that comes when I'm walking in God's will, submitted to His sovereignty, is something I simply won't trade.

Father God, thank You for always continuing to reveal who You are as I search Your word. Thank You for Your teaching, for the body of Christ that sustains when things grow challenging, for those You've given me to love, and to be loved by. Thank You for all we have, and all You will do in our lives. I so look forward to seeing Your work continue to unfold in my life, and the life of my family. In Jesus' name, amen.