Introduction

Few promises in Scripture are as concise, powerful, and misunderstood as this:

“…submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” –  James 4:7

This is not merely poetic language—it is a spiritual law.
It describes why the enemy presses you, how he gains influence, and what unlocks God’s power to make him flee.
To understand it, we must understand what the devil does, what is happening inside us, and why submission is the key that activates spiritual authority.

What Is Going On With the Devil—and With Me?

The devil is a very real and active adversary who seeks to distract us from God and His purpose, steal the things we love, kill us before our time, and destroy every good thing in God’s creation.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy….” – John 10:10

He and his cast of demons operate in very predictable patterns and attack our unique vulnerabilities.  Our opportunity is to understand his methods and guard against them while we address our specific vulnerabilities.

“…lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” — 2 Corinthians 2:11

His primary weapons are lies, distortions, accusations, and agitations.

“When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” — John 8:44b

They work to influence and corrupt any parts of our mind, will and emotions we leave vulnerable to them; These include our identity, purpose, desires, emotions, beliefs, and thought patterns.

They often gain access through emotional wounds or trauma, and over time work to build elaborate patterns of false beliefs, recurring patterns of negative thoughts, distorted perspectives, elevated emotional sensitivities, and undesired behaviors. This process results in increasingly destructive patterns that, if left unchecked, play off each other to destroy relationships, destroy our ability to function in society, destroy our health and well being, and leave us in desperation.  

What can they attack?  – The devil can attack anything we hold onto and try to control ourselves rather than giving to God and trusting Him.

The enemy can only exploit what is not submitted to God. Submission removes the mental “handles” the devil pulls, and removes the emotional “buttons” the devil pushes and realigns us under God’s truth, authority, and protection.

Why Do I Need to Submit to God?

Adam And Eve Created A Mess

Adam and Eve rebelled against God by deciding to eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden. That was a self-centered decision and they were changed by that decision, they became self-conscious and started to hide from God and deflect blame for their action. They put themselves first rather than putting God first and obeying. Whatever you put first instead of God will gradually distort your thoughts and emotions to serve it as your master.

We inherit this sinful self-centered nature from Adam and Eve.  It gives us a tendency to look at things from our own perspective rather than Gods, it makes us more concerned and focused on optimizing our own situation in our earthly lives more than our impact on others in this life and our destination for eternity after.  This flawed, self-centered nature gives the devil a target rich environment to play in. 

God Has Been Working To Fix It

God has been working for generations to restore creation. He first reset the playing field with Noah, an ark and a great flood. He chose a group of people to lead the way through Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob. He worked with Moses to delivered His people from slavery and provided the law – the 10 commandments – to help folks realize how far off track they had gotten and the consequences they face for their sins… death.  He also introduced a path towards salvation…a substitutional sacrifice. This helped for while, but the devil learned to leverage the commandments to tempt folks and then condemn them. Eventually God came in person, lived a sinless life to fulfill the law, and paid the price for our sins with His broken body on the cross. When we understand our broken nature and the eternity in hell we have earned by our sins, we can choose to accept Jesus sacrifice on our behalf. If we trust Jesus for salvation, the Holy Spirit will move in us and change our heart, we will love God and want to serve Him in obedience, and we will have compassion to serve others.

We need to embrace Gods plan, and the work of Jesus on our behalf

We are called to love God with all our heart.  We don’t just somehow invent a love for Him, we love Him because He loves us and sent His son to suffer and die in our place. We need to truly embrace what Jesus did for us…. He gave his earthly life so we could be restored to our intended purpose here, and then spend eternity with Him. 

We need to cut off the flow of what Adam Did…

We are called to deny ourselves, and pick up our cross. We need to back out of what Adam and Eve did. They created a “self”, we need tt deny that self and cut off the flow of energy coming from it.

We are to crucify our flesh and its desires and submit ourselves in obedience to God.

This allows the Holy Spirit to come in and actually restore the original image of God Adam and Eve corrupted

Why is Submission So Important?

Submission restores the designed order of creation:

God → Identity → Desires → Actions → Fruit → Fulfilled Purpose.

When self replaces God, this order collapses. We seek to worship other things in place of God  – Our self image or perceived value,  our “things”, our comfort or pleasure.  

Self → Identity distortion → Ungodly desires → Sinful actions → Broken fruit → Blocked purpose

Submission realigns us with who God is, who we are, and why we were created.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…” — Matthew 11:29, NKJV

Submission is the doorway to divine authority, clarity, and freedom. 

Without submission:

Resistance is weak.

Emotions dominate.

Lies feel believable.

Temptation gains traction.

Identity becomes unstable.

The enemy finds footholds and drives the agenda.

With submission:

God’s authority becomes your authority.

God’s truth replaces lies.

God’s Spirit strengthens your will.

God’s peace displaces spiritual chaos.

God’s presence shields you from attack.

Submission is not God taking something from you. It is God freeing you from what was destroying you.

Submission is how you return to the life you were made for—free, fruitful, protected, empowered.

And crucially:

Submission activates resistance.

Resistance activates authority.

Authority makes the devil flee.

How Do I Submit Myself to God? Principles & Best Practices

Submission is not passive.
It is an active, intentional, daily alignment of every part of your life under God’s rule.

Below are the core practices:

A. Submit Your Will

Why:   The will is the steering wheel of your life. Whoever controls your will controls your direction.

• • If self drives your will, the enemy can influence you.
  • When God governs your will, the enemy loses access.

Best Practices:

• • Pause before decisions and invite God’s direction, Let Him have the final say,
  • Surrender outcomes instead of clinging to what you want.
  • Listen to Your Conscience, Practice immediate obedience when God convicts.

Pray: “Lord, not my will but Yours be done. Bend my desires into harmony with Your purposes.”

Speak: “My will is surrendered to God. I choose obedience, even before I understand the outcome.”

Self-check prompts:

• • Do I insist on my own destination
  • Do i insist on my own way to get there?
  • Do I resist God’s nudges?
  • Do I negotiate with God instead of obey?

B. Submit Your Identity

Why: Identity determines how you interpret life.

• • If identity is rooted in wounds, performance, or rejection, the enemy can destabilize you with a single failure.
  • A submitted identity rooted in Christ is unshakable.

Best Practices:

• • Replace labels and lies with truth.

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
— Galatians 3:26,Declare identity truths daily.

• • Reject false identities tied to wounds, performance, or failure/shame.
  • Declare who you are in Christ daily.
    • Example: I Have A New Identity In Christ – I Am A Born-Again Child Of God

Pray: “Father, define me. Strip away every false identity that does not come from You.”

Speak: “I am a child of God—loved, chosen, accepted, redeemed.”

Self-check prompts:

• • What defines me today—God or my circumstances?
  • Do failures feel like personal destruction?
  • Do I chase approval to feel valuable?

C. Submit Your Thoughts

Why: Your mind is the battlefield. Whoever shapes your thoughts shapes your emotional world and decisions.

Best Practices:

• • Test every thought, Capture thoughts immediately when they don’t align with truth.
  • Replace lies with Scripture—not willpower.
  • Limit inputs that stir fear, lust, pride, anger, or comparison.

Pray: “Lord, shine Your light on every lie I believe. Renew my mind with Your truth.”

Speak: “I take this thought captive. It must obey Christ.”

Self-check prompts:

• • What thoughts am I rehearsing?
  • Do my thoughts produce peace or turmoil?
  • Would Jesus agree with what I’m thinking right now?

D. Submit Your Desires

Why: Desires become the motivations behind your actions.

• • Ungodly desires become entry points for demonic influence.

Best Practices:

• • Identify dominant desires, are they aligned with God, ask God to refine them.
  • Ask God to reorder what you love most.
  • Confess your purpose daily, and use fasting to weaken attachments.
    • Example: I Have A New Purpose – I Will Bring God Glory In All I Do
  • Fast periodically to weaken attachments to the flesh and realign desires with God.

Pray: “Lord, reshape my desires. Plant in me what You want me to want.”

Speak: “My desires are being transformed. I delight in the will of God.”

Self-check prompts:

• • What do I crave most today?
  • What would devastate me if God asked for it?
  • Am I driven by want or by obedience?

E. Submit Your Emotions

Why:  Emotions are indicators, but if they rule you, they become dictators the enemy uses.

Best Practices:

• • Name the emotion instead of suppressing it.
  • Align your emotions with truth, Ask God what truth your heart needs.
  • Practice forgiveness quickly when hurt.

Pray: “Lord, lead my heart. Heal what is wounded and quiet what is anxious.”

Speak: “My emotions serve God; they do not rule me.”

Self-check prompts:

• • Do my reactions align with Christ, do they bring Him glory?
  • Do I justify my emotional outbursts? or learn from them to seek help from God?
  • Are my emotions louder than God’s Word in my life?

F. Submit Your Behaviors

Why: Habits shape your character. Even small repeated behaviors become footholds if not submitted.

Best Practices:

• • Stop known sin immediately.
  • Build holy habits (prayer, immersion in the Word, frequent worship).
  • Develop accountability with a trusted believer.

Pray: “Lord, break every sinful pattern in me. Strengthen my will to choose righteousness.”

Speak: “I walk in obedience. My actions honor God.”

Self-check prompts:

• • What behavior is causing harm in my life? relationships? engagement in society?
  • What behavior is costing me spiritual clarity?
  • Are my habits leading me toward God or away from Him?
  • What am I hiding?
  • What is my conscience telling me I need to address next?

G. Submit Your Circumstances

Why: Unsubmitted circumstances create anxiety, control issues, fear, and exhaustion.

Best Practices:

• • Practice daily surrender of responsibilities and outcomes.
  • Declare His ownership over every situation.
    • Example: I Trust God – He Alone Has the Love, Wisdom, Plans, and Power To Help Me
  • Rehearse God’s faithfulness out loud.
  • Accept interruption as divine redirection.

Pray: “Lord, this situation belongs to You. I release control and trust Your wisdom.”

Speak: “God is in control of my circumstances. I walk in His timing and plan.”

Self-check prompts:

• • What am I trying to control right now?
  • What worry do I rehearse daily?
  • Do I trust God with timing?

I. Submit Your Trials

Why: Trials reveal what is unsubmitted. Those who refuse submission grow bitter; those who surrender grow stronger.

Best Practices:

• • Ask not “Why me?” but “What are You forming in me?”
  • Look for fruit, not escape.
  • Practice gratitude during difficulty.

Pray: “Lord, form Christ in me through this trial. Do not waste my suffering.”

Speak: “I will endure with faith. God is producing something eternal in me.”

Self-check prompts:

• • Do I complain or worship in hardship?
  • Do I run to God or run from Him when things hurt?
  • What fruit is God trying to grow in me?

J. Submit Your Things (Possessions, Money, and Resources)

Why: Your things — money, assets, possessions,— are powerful spiritual indicators.
Jesus spoke about money more than almost any other practical topic because:

• • What you own easily becomes what owns you.
  • Possessions create false security that replaces trust in God.
  • Money and things often become identity markers — status, comfort, significance, self-worth.
  • Hoarding or overspending can both signal self-trust instead of God-trust.

Resources are meant to be stewarded, not clung to.

• • When possessions are unsubmitted, they create fear, greed, pride, self-reliance, and spiritual blindness.
  • When possessions are surrendered, they become tools of love, generosity, and kingdom impact.

View your “things” as resources, and you are God’s custodian to ensure they get used to best serve Him.

Nothing reveals the heart more quickly than how a person handles what God has placed in their hands.

Best Practices:

• • Acknowledge God as Owner. Everything you have came from Him; you are a steward, not the source.
  • Give First, Not Last: Prioritize generosity as an act of worship, not leftover thinking.
  • Simplify Your Life: Reduce excess that feeds identity or pride; keep what serves God’s purposes.
  • Use Things to Love People; Never Use People to Get Things.
  • Ask God Before Major Purchases: Not out of legalism, but as partnership with the true Owner.
  • Practice Open-Handedness: Be willing to let God redirect your resources at any time.

Pray: “Lord, everything I have comes from You. I declare that You are the Owner and I am the steward. I submit my money, possessions, tools, and resources to Your kingdom purposes. Break every attachment in me that substitutes things for trust in You.”

Speak: “My identity is not in what I own. My security is not in money. My possessions serve God — they do not rule me. I steward what God gives, and I release what He asks for.”

Self-Check Prompts:

• • Do I feel anxious when God asks me to give something away?
  • Do possessions increase my pride or sense of identity?
  • Do I buy things to comfort myself?
  • Do I resist generosity even when I feel nudged?
  • Am I trusting money more than God to provide security?
  • Do I treat resources as tools for the kingdom or as treasures to protect?

How Can I Tell If I’m Really Submitted?

Submission isn’t a feeling—it is revealed in what rules your choices.

Use this table as a self assessment to locate unsubmitted areas of your life and then actively surrender them to God.

 

Aspect	Controlled by ME (Indicators)	Submitted to God (Indicators)	Key Verse
Identity	Defined by performance, roles, success, or approval. Easily shaken by failure or criticism.	Identity rooted in being God’s beloved child. Failure does not define worth.	Galatians 3:26 – Sons of God through faith.
Thoughts	Worry, replaying offense, fantasy, or self-condemnation dominate.	Thoughts tested against Scripture; lies rejected; mind intentionally directed.	2 Corinthians 10:5 – Take every thought captive.
Desires	Life shaped around comfort, success, pleasure, or self-driven goals.	Seek God’s priorities first; desires shift as He directs.	Matthew 6:33 – Seek first the kingdom.
Emotions	React with anger, withdrawal, bitterness, or self-pity; justify reactions.	Bring emotions to God; grow in peace, forgiveness, and self-control.	James 1:19–20 – Be Slow to anger.
Relationships	Use people, avoid conflict, hold grudges, attack, or withdraw.	Love sacrificially; pursue forgiveness, truth, and reconciliation.	John 13:34–35 – Love one another.
Time	Driven, rushed, overloaded; easily frustrated by interruptions.	Invite God into planning; peace when plans shift; rest and margin.	Proverbs 3:5–6 – Trust God to direct paths.
Money/Things	Cling to money/things; fear lack; find status/value; giving feels like loss.	Give first; trust God’s provision; steward resources well.	Matthew 6:19-21– Pursue treasures in heaven not earth.
Trials	Complain, blame, feel abandoned by God; see hardship as punishment.	Seek what God is forming; trust His purpose; grow in endurance.	James 1:2–4 – Trials produce patience.

Declaration of Submission and Spiritual Authority

Lord, I submit myself fully to You as my God and my rightful Lord.

I yield my thoughts, my heart, my desires, my will, and my actions to Your authority and Your Word.

I acknowledge that the devil is a real and active enemy, seeking to steal, kill, and destroy, but he has no rightful claim over any area I submit to You.

Therefore, in obedience to Your Word, I resist him. I stand firm in faith, refusing every lie, accusation, temptation, and disturbance he brings.

He has no power over me except what I once allowed—but now I submit every part of my life to You.

As I draw near to You, the enemy must flee, for the Spirit of the Lord dwells within me, surrounds me, and strengthens me. Your presence is my refuge. Your Word renews my mind. Your power guards my life.

I am clothed with the armor of God; I choose obedience, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the living Word of God as my weapon and shield.

I declare that the enemy has no place, no foothold, no authority, and no permission in my life. Every scheme of darkness is exposed and defeated by the light of Christ in me.

Lord, Your presence fills me. Your truth guides me. Your power sustains me. I belong to You, and I walk in the victory Jesus has already won.

As it is written, so let it be for me. I speak this, and I stand in this, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Where Can I Learn More?

A. Understand Gods Word – Read / Meditate

• James 4 (context of humility, cleansing, double-mindedness)
• 1 Peter 5 (humble → resist → devil flees)
• Ephesians 6 (armor of God)
• Romans 12 (renewing the mind)
• Matthew 4 (Jesus submits → resists → defeats Satan)

B. Bible Study / Discussion

Worship God, Not Yourself: There Is One and Only One God, And I Am Not It

Trust God, Not Yourself: Trust The Lord With All Your Heart

Find Your Identity in Christ: My New Identity In Christ

Understand Your Real Purpose: Your Purpose I Christ

Be Aware of The Devil: The Devil Is Very Real

C. Books

• The Bondage Breaker — Neil Anderson
• Victory Over Darkness — Neil Anderson
• Mere Christianity — C.S. Lewis
• The Pursuit of God — A.W. Tozer

D. Practices That Build a Submitted Life

• Daily surrender declarations

• • I Am Not God: There is Only One God and I Am Not It
  • I Trust God: I Trust God – Only He Has The Love, Wisdom, Plans, And Power To Help Me
  • I Am Submitted: I am Submitted – And The Devil Will Flee
  • I Am A Child Of God: My New Identity In Christ – I Am A Born Again Child Of God
  • I Have A Purpose – I Will Bring God Glory: My Purpose – Bring Glory To God In All I Do

• Journaling root loves & ungodly beliefs
• Confessing and replacing lies with truth
• Fasting
• Spiritual mentorship & accountability
• Worship, stillness, silence, Scripture meditation

Final Encouragement

Submission is not loss—it is liberation.
It is realignment with your created purpose and your spiritual authority in Christ.
When you submit, God will move.
When God moves, the devil flees.