“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
The Battle
James names two actions together, submit to God, resist the devil, and it is worth noticing their actual order. Submission comes first, the necessary prior posture, without which resistance alone would be attempting something this verse does not actually describe as sufficient on its own.
This closes the second movement of this book with the promised, specific outcome of this resistance, he will flee from you. Not merely endured or survived, but flee, active retreat, this verse’s own confident promise about what genuine, properly ordered resistance, flowing from prior submission, actually accomplishes.
This closes the loop this whole second movement has traced. Strength in the Lord, truth girded, righteousness worn, peace-rooted footing, faith’s shield raised, salvation’s helmet secured, the Spirit’s sword wielded, sustained prayer, all of it building toward this final, comprehensive instruction, submit, then resist, and watch him flee.
As this movement closes, examine today whether submission has genuinely preceded your own attempts at resistance, or whether resistance alone, without this prior submission, has left you attempting something this verse does not actually promise success for. Submit first, today, then resist, trusting the promised flight this verse names directly.
Stand Firm
- Examine whether genuine submission to God has actually preceded your own attempts at resistance.
- Submit today, specifically, before resisting, following this verse’s own actual, necessary order.
- Resist the devil today, trusting this verse’s specific promise that he will genuinely flee.
Prayer
Lord, I submit myself to you today, and I resist the devil, trusting your own promise that he will flee, not because of my strength alone, but because of this proper order. Amen.
Carry this today
Submission to God comes first. Resistance flowing from it produces genuine flight.