Send Him Running!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US1-R-R9lYQ&list=RDUS1-R-R9lYQ&start_radio=1

Run Devil Run ~ Crowder

 

So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. ~ James 4:7 AMP

 

I love the scene in War Room where Elizabeth, Priscilla Shirer's character, finally "gets it" and starts telling the devil she's not going to allow him to run all over her or her family, anymore. We laugh and cheer at that scene, but do we make a point to put the devil in his place in our own lives?

 

David Crowder sings "Run Devil Run". One of the lines says, "I got something make the devil gonna run. I got something make the devil be gone." James 4:7 gives us a three-step recipe to make that happen.

 

1. Get an adjustment. The chiropractor adjusts my spine, correctly aligning it, so messages can accurately travel from my brain to the rest of my body. When we're out of alignment with God, His messages get skewed, or missed entirely. But when we adjust ourselves into correct alignment under God, through submission, we’re able to correctly receive His messages.

2. Stand up to the devil. 1 John 4:4 says, “Greater is He [God] who is in us than he [Satan] who is in the world.” When we believe this, we’ll never need to cower, remembering we have the victory.

3. Send him running! 1 Peter 5:8 says the devil is looking for someone to devour. On Animal Planet, the lions go after the young or weaker animals in the herd, because they’re easier prey. The same is true with us. While the devil is patient and smart, he's also limited in his resources and would rather overcome easier prey than continue to battle those who are strong in their position in the Lord, (Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 6:10-13).

 

For each of our lives, the devil has the same plan: steal, kill, and destroy. But God has given us the victory and tools to overcome when we (1) submit to God's authority and (2) resist the devil. With Palm Sunday and Easter approaching, take time to thank God for giving you the victory, and then be determined to stand strong in it!

©Heather Potts 2021

Submit Your Plans

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight ~ Proverbs 3:6 NIV

I’ve always been a planner—on everything from birthdays to budget items. They weren’t bad plans; who plans to fail. But because I didn’t ask God first, it was like I was planning to fail because I failed to ask God for His plans.

In November, 2015, God drew out the plans for a small group He wanted me to lead. He called it, “Princess Bride,” (no, not the movie). The curriculum pulled from a lot of scripture and many books by strong Christian authors. As the small group semester approached, I sat down and wrote the notes for each session. I had the whole thing planned. The first session went…well…it wasn’t that exciting, honestly. But then something AMAZING happened: God came into the room! Just like the lyrics for Bryan & Katie Tolwart's song, When You Walk Into the Room, say, “When You walk into the room everything changes...”

God’s presence changes everything—thought processes, how your body functions, even your plans, even my plans. And because we serve a gracious God, He didn’t trash my plans. He just changed them to match His. The lessons from there on out were so impactful—not just for the other girls, but for me, too—that I waited with expectant hunger for God to show up and change my plans. He did it that whole semester. That one semester so rocked my world, my prayers, my expectations, and my planning that anytime something comes up, I take it to God first and ask Him what He’d like me to do with it. Don’t get me wrong; I’m still a planner. But because I look with expectancy, as Isaiah 40:31 says, I know that I can rest in Him and trust His plans.

What plans do you need to turn over to the Lord? Invite His presence into the room and see what He doesn’t change in your life.

©Heather Potts 2017