Freedom in Christ — Surrender: How can we experience freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ?  Answer—submit yourself to God and resist the devil.

⇒The word "submit" (hupotagēte) means to put yourself under God, under His care and power and strength; to yield to God, to His will, His command, His instructions, His laws, His behavior, and His Word.  Turning (Surrendering) your will over to God is not a comfortable action. Change in this case brings about a positive difference in your life; to surrender yourself to God for Him to strengthen you so that you can do exactly what He has ordained for your life.

⇒The word "resist" (antistēte) means to take a stand against something or someone. In this case against the devil; to exert the energy and effort to oppose and defeat the devil and his temptation; to keep your mind and energy focused upon counteracting and conquering the temptation of the devil.

(Read Romans 12:1-3)

Both of these words are military words; therefore, they are urgent and they are essentials. They are from our military commander, God Himself. When temptation strikes, submit yourself to God. Do exactly what your military commander says. He has the overall plan and has given us all the weapons and fire power we need is at our disposal. Just remember for by God’s grace we have the power through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour that the enemy is defeated.

Discussion Point:  Why do we as believers in Jesus Christ find it easy to accept that Jesus is our Saviour and find it difficult to accept Him as our Lord? Read Matthew 8:5-10

Submit yourself to God and His Word of command. What this means is to focus your mind upon God and His Word immediately when temptation strikes. Turn away from the temptation, push it out of your mind and begin to think about God and go over and over His Word in your mind. Just begin to resist the devil by focusing your mind upon God and His Word. Press into following God's command and in resisting the devil. When you do, the most wonderful thing will happen. The devil will flee and the temptation will be gone. Remember: this is exactly what Christ did (read Luke 4:4,8,12).

Now, note the critical point: we must both surrender to God and resist the devil. Both acts are required. When the devil or temptation confronts us, we can never defeat him and his stockpile of evil: by standing and fighting alone, by going our own way, by giving in a little, by refusing to listen to our Commander's Word.

We cannot even listen to the enemy's tempting offer—not even for a moment. Picturing the temptation moves us a long way down the road to deserting and sinning against God. The only way to conquer temptation is to immediately submit ourselves to God and to immediately resist the devil and his temptation. We may have to struggle. The images of the temptation may attack and attack us, but if we will attack back by rolling God's Word over and over in our minds, the temptation will flee. 10) With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments 11) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee 12) Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes Psalm 119:10-12

God's instructions about how to overcome temptations work. Even if one has been imprisoned by some sin for years, submitting to God and resisting the devil will cause the devil and temptation to flee. But note this: if a person has been enslaved by the sin—drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, smoking, pornography, overeating, whatever—the temptation will continue to attack him for days and perhaps weeks and months. But the believer must remember something: he is now in the army of God. He is now a soldier under the command of God. Therefore, every time the enemy attacks, the believer is to submit himself to God and His Word, and he is to resist the devil. Read I Corinthians 10:13

He is to persevere (PRESS IN) and keep on persevering—to submit to God and resist the devil and to keep on submitting to God and resisting the devil—and he will discover a most wonderful thing. As time passes—days, weeks, or months—the devil and temptation will flee farther and farther away and attack fewer and fewer times. The believer will walk in more and more victory over the devil and his evil. The believer will never be completely without temptation, but he will walk through life more and more victoriously, triumphing more and more over all evil. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path Psalm 119:105.

Study Scripture  Psalm 119

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil" (Ephes. 4:26-27).

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8).

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" Matthew 6:10.

"And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt" Matthew 26:39

"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her" Luke 1:38.

"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" Romans 6:13.

"Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness" Psalm 143:10.

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" Ephesians 6:13.

"Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness" 2 Peter 3:17.

"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not" Proverbs 1:10.

"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men" Proverbs 4:14.

Men ought to always Pray