James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.
I think this is really bottom line, basic, practical Christianity. Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, and draw close to God. One of the problems that we all seem to face is that we want to draw close to God –we want the security and the peace of heart and soul and the blessings that go with walking in right relationship with God –we like the wonderful feeling of connectedness that we get when we are gathered as a Body worshiping together –we like feeling that God is near –we like drawing close to God, but somehow we don’t always want to submit to God. And we don’t even always want to resist the devil.
Now let’s make sure that we understand what we’re talking about when we are talking about the devil in this particular passage. The devil, Satan, is a very real being. A common misconception among Unbelievers or unchurched, or Biblically unknowledgeable people is that Satan is God’s equal but opposite –That God is good and Satan is evil and that they both have equal powers. That is not even close to being true. God in fact created Satan –and the Bible tells us that ultimately he will be destroyed by Christ. But in the mean time, the devil has much influence and power on this earth. He is powerful, but he is not all-powerful, he is not God. And here is what we need to understand as it relates to this passage of Scripture we are looking at. Since Satan is a real person, a created being, he is not, himself directly responsible for every temptation and every evil thing that happens. He cannot be in all places at once. So when this passage refers to the devil, it is not necessarily talking about Satan the person, but about all of the evil that has come from Satan –all satanic influence. And although we like drawing close to God, we don’t always want to resist all of the influences the devil has had in this world. In fact, we've gotten quite attached to some of them.
But what James is telling us here is that it’s a package deal. We cannot get the full benefit of being saved without drawing close to God –we can’t have the peace of heart and mind and soul, we can’t have the spiritual connectedness, we can’t have the joy of salvation without drawing close to God –and we can’t draw close to God without resisting the devil –resisting evil and the ungodly attitudes and thoughts and agendas of this ungodly culture –and we can’t resist the devil without submitting to God.
It is probably worthwhile to note here that this doesn't tell us to flee the devil, it tells us to submit to God, resist the devil and then he will flee. Too often I try to flee the devil and somehow end up resisting God. I don't necessarily mean for it to end up like that, but it sometimes does. I think that this is probably related to the submit to God thing. When I am attempting to flee the devil, it is me trying in my own strength, out of my my own wisdom and knowledge, out of my own will power instead of me submitting to God. And what I always find is how little wisdom, strength, and will power I have.
When I try to flee the devil, I usually find that wherever I flee, the devil’s right there waiting for me. Now, it’s possible that I am just particularly weak-willed. So maybe if you have more will power than me, you’ll have more success at being good in your own strength. Maybe you'll have better success at trying to avoid foolish, hurtful, sinful attitudes and thoughts and behaviors through sheer will power –but I doubt it. I don’t think that my experience is the exception; I believe it is the rule. So God, in His wisdom, doesn’t ask us to flee the devil in our own strength –out of sheer will power. Instead, He tells us to submit to Him, and that when we resist the devil –not flee the devil by consciously giving God the controls, by submitting to God, the devil will flee.
Here is a core truth to my existence –and yours as well: I am no match for the devil. The devil is bigger, badder, smarter, more powerful, more knowledgeable, and possibly even better looking than me. I am no match for the devil. But if I am submitted to God, I don’t have to be a match for the devil, because the devil is no match for God.
Now let’s make sure that we understand what we’re talking about when we are talking about the devil in this particular passage. The devil, Satan, is a very real being. A common misconception among Unbelievers or unchurched, or Biblically unknowledgeable people is that Satan is God’s equal but opposite –That God is good and Satan is evil and that they both have equal powers. That is not even close to being true. God in fact created Satan –and the Bible tells us that ultimately he will be destroyed by Christ. But in the mean time, the devil has much influence and power on this earth. He is powerful, but he is not all-powerful, he is not God. And here is what we need to understand as it relates to this passage of Scripture we are looking at. Since Satan is a real person, a created being, he is not, himself directly responsible for every temptation and every evil thing that happens. He cannot be in all places at once. So when this passage refers to the devil, it is not necessarily talking about Satan the person, but about all of the evil that has come from Satan –all satanic influence. And although we like drawing close to God, we don’t always want to resist all of the influences the devil has had in this world. In fact, we've gotten quite attached to some of them.
But what James is telling us here is that it’s a package deal. We cannot get the full benefit of being saved without drawing close to God –we can’t have the peace of heart and mind and soul, we can’t have the spiritual connectedness, we can’t have the joy of salvation without drawing close to God –and we can’t draw close to God without resisting the devil –resisting evil and the ungodly attitudes and thoughts and agendas of this ungodly culture –and we can’t resist the devil without submitting to God.
It is probably worthwhile to note here that this doesn't tell us to flee the devil, it tells us to submit to God, resist the devil and then he will flee. Too often I try to flee the devil and somehow end up resisting God. I don't necessarily mean for it to end up like that, but it sometimes does. I think that this is probably related to the submit to God thing. When I am attempting to flee the devil, it is me trying in my own strength, out of my my own wisdom and knowledge, out of my own will power instead of me submitting to God. And what I always find is how little wisdom, strength, and will power I have.
When I try to flee the devil, I usually find that wherever I flee, the devil’s right there waiting for me. Now, it’s possible that I am just particularly weak-willed. So maybe if you have more will power than me, you’ll have more success at being good in your own strength. Maybe you'll have better success at trying to avoid foolish, hurtful, sinful attitudes and thoughts and behaviors through sheer will power –but I doubt it. I don’t think that my experience is the exception; I believe it is the rule. So God, in His wisdom, doesn’t ask us to flee the devil in our own strength –out of sheer will power. Instead, He tells us to submit to Him, and that when we resist the devil –not flee the devil by consciously giving God the controls, by submitting to God, the devil will flee.
Here is a core truth to my existence –and yours as well: I am no match for the devil. The devil is bigger, badder, smarter, more powerful, more knowledgeable, and possibly even better looking than me. I am no match for the devil. But if I am submitted to God, I don’t have to be a match for the devil, because the devil is no match for God.
By coming to our senses, and admitting our need for God –our need to give ourselves freely and completely to God, we discover the wonderful truth of this passage that when we draw close to God, he draws close to us. In fact, what we find is that for every baby step we make in His direction, He takes giant steps in ours.
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