“Resist the devil and he will flee from you!” Do you believe that? It’s in the Bible, it must be true!
It is in the Bible (James 4:7b). And it is true. However, the devil doesn’t have any reason to flee if you are resisting in your strength alone. You’ve heard me and other teachers say that “context is king.” Usually this is referring to interpretation, but in this case it refers to application. YES, we must resist the devil’s temptations. In order to do that, we must submit to God (v. 7a). In order to submit to God, we must humble ourselves before Him (v. 6) and draw near to Him (v. 8). After all, the devil is far more powerful than we are, but he’s no match for our God! Peter’s similar exhortation is also in the context of humility and staying firm in faith and Paul instructs us to take up the full armor of God. Satan is alive and well on this planet. He’s not scared of much, but he is scared of our Abba!
You may have seen this clip before, but, in my humble opinion, it’s worth watching.
Pastor Scott
Grace Notes 