Proof God is at Work

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

And the devil will flee from you…

As a repeat sinner who struggles with sin on a daily basis, the thought of the devil fleeing sounds so, so, sooooooo good. Yes, I want that. I long for a day when all my thoughts and yearnings are pure and good. I long for a day when I can love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind 24/7.

So, then, how can we live in such a way that the devil flees from us? There are two steps.

First, submit yourselves to God. Notice God did not say submit to your inner voice, or give into your heart, or follow your gut. If you want to see the devil fleeing, the first step is an ongoing, never-ending, until the day we draw our last breath surrendering and submitting to God.

The second step is to resist the devil. It’s not enough to submit to God. We need to keep resisting the devil. And just as it was with surrendering, the resisting of the devil is an ongoing, never-ending, until the day we draw our last breath resisting the devil thing.

Gee. I know. It sounds exhausting. But what are the alternatives? Should we give into the devil? NO!!! Should we give into sin? NO!!! Should we keep battling sin? No!!!

You see, the mere fact that we are battling sin and fighting the devil is the proof that God is at work in our lives. The proof of living under the influence of the Holy Spirit is NOT that we are sinless, but that we are submitting to God and resisting the devil. The fight against sin and the devil is the proof that God is at work in us.

So, keep fighting the good fight. Submit to God. Resist the devil.