First Submit, Then Resist

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
JAMES 4:6,7

So many times we try to resist, but we are defeated. Why? Simply because we attempt to resist the devil before we have first submitted ourselves to God. There is a proper order that must be observed without fail.
First, we must understand the principle of God resisting the proud but giving grace to the humble. This is the foundation of everything we do. Second, the word “therefore” signifies that those who learn this principle will act upon it accordingly. If they understand the truth just stated, they will submit “therefore” to God. Third, as a result of their submitting to God, they will find the devil flees whenever and wherever they offer him resistance.
The word “flee” means “to run away in terror.” How wonderful! How delicious to see the devil running from us in terror, instead of the other way around!
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden