A Prayer to Submit to God and Resist the Enemy
By Alisha Headley
“Submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
Many times, the things we are dealing with in our daily life are none other than the enemy having his way with us. In our flesh, we tend to fight another person, fight our circumstances, or fight with ourselves. Perhaps, we focus solely on the problem itself attempting to put it all in our own hands as we frantically try to control it with the hopes of diminishing it altogether.
But have you ever thought it might not be the person or problem you are actually needed to take control of? Perhaps it’s the enemy itself whom you need to control and put in his place?
Remember, we are fighting a spiritual battle daily as we are taught in Ephesians 6. The enemy wakes up with the same goal each day and that’s to keep us from walking in the Lord’s provision and purpose for our lives. Satan has a great day when he accomplishes to discourage us in any way he can.
This leaves us feeling hopeless, helpless, and often times we are left feeling defeated.
Looking at today’s passage, an important part of “submitting ourselves to God” means taking everything back from Satan. We do this by “resisting him”: to no longer give him footholds and power in our lives. When we begin to remove all influences of the enemy and take back our power, the issues we face will either disappear or downsize to a workable level. The enemy no longer has the control.
Once we “submit to God, then resist the devil.” The result is that the devil will “flee from you.” So, in order to have this beautiful promise come to pass where the devil leaves your situation, we must do our part first: submit all our issues to God, then resist the enemy.
Rest assured that we have the power to overcome whatever it is we are facing. We have the power through submitting all to God to overcome the enemy. God already overcame and defeated the enemy for eternity when our Savior bore the cross. Satan is already a defeated foe. But while we are here on earth, before the enemy’s eternal destruction comes to pass, we can resist him in our daily lives, and he will leave. Scripture promises this.
What a relief that we have the power to defeat our issues and the enemy behind them daily. Therefore, let us remain in that promise today. We have the victory in the middle of this earthly battle.
Let's pray:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for giving us the power to command that the enemy flee from us anytime we recognize the need to. Thank you for your promises that we don’t have to be a slave to sin and all the issues the enemy tries to entangle us in and keep us trapped in. Through submitting them to you, and resisting the enemy, he is commanded to leave. Thank you for this promise.
We ask for the Holy Spirit to slow us down and remind us every time we are battling something, that it’s not the problem or person itself we are battling, but rather the enemy behind it. Remind us that you are bigger than any problem. Remind us to hand everything over to you as we take everything back from the enemy by resisting him.
Thank you for the secret weapon of victory to submit and resist. Thank you for being the greatest leader in this spiritual battle we face. We thank you in advance for your provision and guidance in this daily fight. We submit to you this day, and every day, are so grateful for your power and victory that has already been won. The power to overcome the defeated foe and all of the enemy’s tactics. We love you Lord and are grateful for your mighty power.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign
Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Tuesday, 11 October 2022.
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