“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
July 16, 2025
Becoming a Christian immediately embroils us in warfare (Jas. 4:1). The book of James alerts us to our adversary. Demons lurk (Jas. 2:19), the tongue can be set on fire by hell (Jas. 3:6). We have a command to resist the devil who is a deceiver. Be involved in the resistance movement. This is no cartoon conflict. The word “therefore” in James 4:7 makes it clear that the real enemy is not fellow Christians. Our strategy is to submit to God, He who gives wisdom, who is not tempted by sin, who gives good gifts. These are echoes of what has all ready been said in James. We are to live by drawing near to our Commander-in-chief (Jas. 4:8). Friendship is to be with God, not with the world. Confess sins as necessary. Purify thoughts with regular application of truth (Jas. 4:8). Stay alert to the one who tempts the believer to lie (Acts 5:3,4), to throw in the towel with discouragement and disappointment (Acts 18:9). Resist the evil one by God’s grace!
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“Be the kind of woman (or man) that when your feet hit the floor, the devil says, ‘O no, she’s up.’”