RESIST THE DEVIL!
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
The Spirit is clear about our necessary reaction to the devil: RESIST him! No other response is acceptable. No matter how strong his allurement, RESIST HIM! Whatever the apparent advantages he seems to have, RESIST HIM! The Spirit does not say "Rebuke him," but RESIST HIM! He does not say "Fight him," but RESIST HIM!
DETERMINATION AND RESOLUTION. Resistance begins with determination and resolution. Regarding temptation, "I will not!" is the shout of the people of God. "I WILL NOT be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about" (Psa 3:6). "I WILL NOT fear what flesh can do unto me" (Psa 56:4). "For I WILL NOT trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me" (Psa 44:6). "I WILL NOT be afraid what man can do unto me" (Psa 56:11). "A froward heart shall depart from me: I WILL NOT know a wicked person" (Psa 101:4). "The LORD is on my side; I WILL NOT fear: what can man do unto me?" (Psa 118:6). "I will delight myself in thy statutes: I WILL NOT forget thy word" (Psa 119:16). All of these texts reveal areas in which we are tempted by the devil. They are areas where we are to be alert and sensitive.
Job made a covenant with his eyes, and therefore refused to look lustfully upon a maiden. "I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?" (Job 31:1). He did not allow his mouth to sin. "Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul" (Job 31:30). He even laid his hand upon his mouth to prevent sinful expressions. "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth" (Job 40:4). That is the sort of determination required to resist the devil!
It is not wise to view this word – RESIST THE DEVIL – as a harsh commandment. The new covenant operates on a higher level than that of law. This is a word of exhortation to those engaged in the good fight of faith. It is a sensible word, designed to alert us to the nature of our warfare. Satan is trying to intrude into the realm you are occupying by faith. He does so by attempting to lure you into the realm of the curse. Resist his attempts! He is cunning in his attempts, and you must not be "ignorant of his devices," lest he gain an advantage over you (2 Cor 2:11). Your mind must be "armed" for these inevitable confrontations with the devil (1 Pet 4:1). Indolence and indifference will surely lead to the loss of one's soul.
Resist THE DEVIL -- not temptation. Notice, the admonition is not to resist the temptation, but to resist the originator of the temptation, the Tempter! Technically, we do not yield to sin, but to the father of sin. To resist the devil, you must be sensitive to his person. Behind the allurement to sin is a wicked personality. He is not simply trying to get you to DO some wrong things, but to leave the heavenly places where God has placed all who are in Christ (Eph 2:6). He does this by drawing your attention to things that are not heavenly, things that are temporal. In fact, he draws us to objects that contradict heavenly things. Resisting the devil involves a refusal to be distracted from eternal things!
It is imperative that we recognize the source of temptation to do evil. It is our adversary, the devil. Ultimately, the explanation for sin is the "old serpent." It is not human weakness, disease, or hereditary flaws. Any attempt to explain sin that does not trace it back to a time when the sinner yielded to Satan is faulty. Efforts to explain fleshly indulgence scientifically, sociologically, or biologically are out of order for those who are in Christ – or any one else, for that matter. The employment of terms that soften the matter of sin is also to be avoided. A few of them that are popular in this wicked and sinful generation are, "alcoholism," "chemical abuse," "substance abuse," "child abuse, " "abortion," "homosexuality," "drug addiction," etc. None of these assume a devil; the adversary of humanity. All of them are unacceptable attempts to EXPLAIN sin.
Sin, however, does not require any explanation. Those who would clutter our minds with explanations for iniquity do us a great disservice. Such explanations are like weights about our necks that impede our progress to glory. Sin is the result of yielding to the devil, who works through the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:15-17). Sin needs to be confessed and forgiven, not explained or interpreted.
Those who are caught in sin's syndrome are admonished to "resist the devil," not try to control their purported addiction. Neither, indeed, are they to seek counsel from the wise men of this world. God has provided a Savior from sin, and a Deliverer from the power of the wicked one. It is in view of these glorious realities that we are admonished, "Resist the devil." Faith is equal to this challenge, and will bring the required power.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that resisting the devil is the sure way to make him flee from me.
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