“Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”- James 4:7
Sara Horn concludes Chapter 7 of How Can I Possibly Forgive? with a discussion of six Steps to Overcoming Discord, based on James 4:7. The first two steps are presented today.
1. Submit to God. We don’t like the word submit. We don’t like using it to define our relationship with other people. Sara adds that, if we’re honest, we’re sometimes uncomfortable saying it about our relationship with God. Yet, God not only wants our love, He also wants our obedience.
Sara emphasizes that the secret to being able to forgive is learning how to submit our will to God. God wants the best for us. For this reason, God asks us to trust Him enough to follow Him wholeheartedly. Although we don’t know what the future may bring, God walks with us every moment and step of our journey.
2. Resist the devil. When submission to God is our goal, many distractions are thrown at us in an attempt to convince us we need to concentrate on what we want to do. While it’s tempting to harp on a situation that has hurt us, such fixation only sucks us down into a pit devoid of mercy, grace, and life.
When we are firmly planted with God, Satan can’t do anything about it.
Today’s question: Which of the first two steps have been problematic for you in overcoming discord? Please share.
Coming Monday: the new Short Meditation, “Entertaining angels unawares”
Tomorrow’s blog: “Draw near to God”
