Nobody Can Submit for You: Six Action Steps of the Believer

Sermon outline

God has given every believer things to do, and results come when you stop putting the whole responsibility on God and act on His word yourself.

1. Be doers of the word, not hearers only

   Do not only hear what is preached; take it home and put it into practice, because the doer of the word is the one who is blessed. Someone can look as if they are doing everything right, but the acid test is whether their prayers and their seed are getting results. Many Christians push all the responsibility onto God and never realise there is a part they must play.

   Illustration: The man who looks at his face in a mirror, walks away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

   “At the end of the day, the acid test is the results.”

   • James 1:21-25

2. 1. Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee

   The Bible does not say God will help you submit; it tells you to do it, and God would not ask what you are unable to do. Submit means to put yourself under obedience, resist means to stand against and oppose, applying counter-pressure with the word, and flee means the devil runs away, escapes and vanishes. Resisting without first submitting to God will not work.

   Illustration: Under steady faith pressure the devil starts looking all around for somewhere to run and disappear from your life.

   “If you will try to resist the devil without submitting to God, will he flee? No.”

   • James 4:7
   • Ephesians 6:17

3. 2. Put on the new man

   It is you who puts on the new man, not God, the pastor or the church leaders. To put on is like sinking into a garment: you sink yourself into the word and clothe yourself with what it says about you. The new man has been created, made again to its original form, so when condemnation or inferiority comes you answer with your confession that you are the righteousness of God.

   “Your profession in life is your confession.”

   • Ephesians 4:24
   • 2 Corinthians 5:17
   • Romans 8:1

4. 3. Present your bodies a living sacrifice

   No one can present your body for you; not your spouse and not the church leaders. Presenting your body means doing whatever the word tells you without arguing or debating it, even when it is inconvenient. A sacrifice that is well pleasing stays on the altar when the heat comes: it walks in love when rubbed the wrong way, gives cheerfully and stays teachable, and every task in God's house, even mopping and sweeping, is divine worship.

   Illustration: A sacrifice that lies down on the pile of sticks but jumps off and runs as soon as the heat comes on.

   “I may not like it, but Lord, because your word says it, I'll do it.”

   • Romans 12:1
   • 2 Corinthians 9:7
   • 1 Samuel 15:23
   • Romans 2:13

5. 4. Neither give place to the devil

   This is a military command, not a request. Give the devil no spot, no location, no home and no licence to come near you, whether he comes as sickness, financial pressure, lost joy, gossip or bad company. Protecting your territory and guarding your heart is your responsibility; people fall away because they forget to guard their own coast.

   Illustration: The devil arriving on your campground and pitching his tent: close the gates, set out the watchdog, switch on the light of the word and put him out.

   “Don't let him camp on your ground.”

   • Ephesians 4:27
   • Ephesians 2:6
   • Proverbs 4:23

6. 5. So let him give

   Nobody can give on your behalf. Purpose in your heart what to give, then give it yourself, joyfully and hilariously, not grudgingly or out of necessity. Taking that responsibility is what brings results.

   “I cannot give for you. And you cannot give for me.”

   • 2 Corinthians 9:7

7. 6. Be sober, be vigilant, resist steadfast in the faith

   Be watchful about who you talk to, where you go, what enters your eyes and what comes out of your mouth, because the tongue steers your course. The devil walks about plotting and strategising, looking for someone to swallow whole, so keep awake and resist him steadfastly. If you feel down or have lost your joy, you have not been resisting; you live by the word, not by feelings.

   Illustration: His own habit of rising early for devotions, praying a shield around himself and releasing anything in his heart against anyone.

   “You don't go by your feelings. You go by the word of God.”

   • 1 Peter 5:8-9
   • Matthew 12:34
   • 1 Timothy 6:12

8. Walk in love and keep your body under

   The fight is against demon forces, not people, and the command to love is not an option. He makes a practice of forgiving before the offence even comes, so nothing can attach itself to him. Like Paul, keep your body under: forfeit the right to react, because the Holy Spirit is watching your words and attitudes.

   “I want to forgive before the offense takes place.”

   • Ephesians 6:12
   • 1 Corinthians 13:1
   • John 13:34
   • 1 Corinthians 9:27