“Resist the devil”
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NASBS
Brothers and sisters in Christ, may our hearts rejoice that saving faith has been granted to us, and we have turned to Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins. It is a great miracle that we have been awakened to understand that God will one day judge this world according to His perfect righteousness and that Jesus Christ is the only answer for man’s eternal condition. At the end of this age, there will be one thing that will stand out in the hearts of all people. There is one supreme God Who rules the entire world, and we will stand before Him and give an account for the life we lived here on earth and what we did with His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Sadly, the eyes of the world have been blinded by sin to this reality, and apart from being awakened by the Holy Spirit, all who live in this world are held captive by the evil one, Satan. The Bible tells us he is the prince of the air working in the sons of disobedience, even now as I write this small devotional. Peter tells us he is like a prowling lion, seeking whom he may devour. He hates righteousness, opposes everything attributed to God’s perfect character, and not only that, but He veils himself as an angel of light in an attempt to destroy all mankind. Remember saints of God, his end is destruction, his destiny is hell, and so it will be for all who follow him.
Satan is also relentless in his accusations against those freed from his dominion because of the work that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. As a matter of fact, he accuses God’s children continually. He hates God and all that God is, which means he also hates God’s mercy and forgiveness extended to sinful humanity. Satan, the accuser, stands before God in an attempt to somehow lessen God’s love or to diminish God’s mercy upon His beloved, but can never do so. The prophet Zechariah speaks of this, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Satan seeks to convince believers of their sin and their unworthiness of a place in God’s family. He sows seeds of doubt into their hearts and minds and longs to make Christians fear for their salvation and forget God’s love and faithfulness. He was a liar from the beginning, and everything he does is conceived in lies. Therefore, Christian, “Submit to God.
Therefore, Christian, “Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” With this understanding, how much more should we be committed to Christ and come to a deeper knowledge of His word? We are to be prepared at any given point in our day to give an account of our salvation and defend the faith that we were delivered up to while we were in the throes of wickedness. If God so loved us while we were His enemies, should we not have love and have gospel sympathy for those enslaved to sin, awaiting judgment? Never forget the quarry from which you were dug, so that pride will never walk before you. Paul speaking to the church of Corinth said, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God.” May God give you the grace to walk a life that continually brings glory to God. Amen.