Submit And Resist!
"Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
James 4: 7-8
Laws of physics say two different objects cannot occupy
the same space at the same time. We can also say that God
and Satan cannot occupy the same place at the same time.
Or, we cannot submit to God and Satan at the same
time.
In the words of James 4:7-8, if we are submitted to God,
we are resisting the devil. If we submit to God and resist
the devil, the devil must flee from us.
The Bible restates this principle of God’s superiority in
different ways. First John 4:4 says, “[God] who is in you
is greater than [Satan] who is in the world.” And Romans
8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Satan can't stand against us. All of this is to say, God
is greater than the tempter. When we submit to God,
He's able to deliver us from the evil one
who seeks
our allegiance through temptation.
When you are tempted, stop and affirm your submission
to God. When you do so, the tempter must flee. And you
are delivered.
"To realize God’s presence is the one
sovereign remedy against temptation."
François Fénelon
