Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!     James 4:7-9 HCSB

Our pastor says that anytime Scripture begins with “Therefore,” we need to read what comes just before it. Our scripture passage begins with that word and it is referring to what James had to say in verses 4-7. James calls out sinners using the term adulteresses. He reminds us that whoever becomes friends with the world becomes an enemy to God. He reminds us that Scripture tells us we serve a jealous God. He tells us that God gives greater grace and He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. If we humble ourselves and repent before God He will extend us grace when we sin against Him. But if we hold on to our sin in pride, God will resist us. He will be our enemy.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got enough problems in my life. I don’t need for God to be my enemy. I need Him to be my ally.

Our scripture passage tells us that for that to happen, we must submit to God. My friend if you are trying to resist the devil without submitting to God you are fighting a losing battle. Let me know how that works out for you. I tried it for many years and I liken it to the time I tripped on an electric wire and instinctively grabbled onto the metal fence post to keep from falling. That did not work out well.

Often times we find ourselves falling and instead of surrendering to Christ and asking Him to help us up, we try to do it our way and find ourselves in even more pain and heartache. We want God to bless us and help us through life’s troubles but we can’t let go of the sin in our lives. I know this from personal experience.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us that we must be alert because the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. If we are not making God our ally, we are leaving ourselves open for attack from the devil.  The devil likes to ambush us. He hides somewhere in something that we think we can handle or something that he convinces us isn’t so bad and while we are unsuspecting, he launches a full attack. Before we know it we are held captive in bondage to our sin.

The first thing we must do is decide if we want to continue on in bondage. Many times we have not because we ask not (James 4:2). If we truly want to be freed from the bondage of our sin, we must repent and we must ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit to help us resist the temptation to continue on in our sinful ways. We must ask for God’s strength to help us resist temptation. Most importantly, we must surrender all to Him. God doesn’t want our half-baked apologies or attempts at letting go of our sin. He wants total devotion. When we surrender to God, He gives us strength to resist the devil. The devil will flee. When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. When we choose to live in God’s shelter, we will abide in His protective shadow (Psalm 91:1).  Psalm 91:3 tells us that He Himself will deliver us from the hunter’s net. This means that He will deliver us from the evil schemes of the devil.

If you are fighting the devil, you can’t do it on your own. You need to have God as an ally or you are fighting a losing battle. Trust in God, and surrender to Him. He will fight this battle for you, you only need to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

I leave you with one thought, sin leads to death. It may not lead to your physical death, but it surely leads to spiritual death. God wants nothing more than for us to surrender to Him and live in the protection that He provides but if we fail to do so, He will eventually give us over to the sin in our hearts (Romans 1:24). I beg of you to trust in Him today. Surrender yourself to Him and let Him help you resist the devil. There is no other way.

Have a great day!