November 5, 2010, James 4

Key Verse: 

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

(James 4:7)

Central Truth: 

Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we have the power to resist the devil.

SHUT THE DOOR, KEEP OUT THE DEVIL

I can still see my friend Elizabeth doing little motions she made up to help us memorize this verse when we were all doing a ladies' Bible study ten years ago. It made me giggle because she would do her fingers in a "walking" motion (think Yellow Pages ads in the 80's) really fast, like running. It was kind of a funny motion for grown ups to be sitting around doing in Bible study, but what really was funny to me, in a different way, was to think about the devil running away from ME! I mean, if I saw the devil incarnate coming towards me, I would certainly run (wouldn't I?), but he will flee from little 'ole ME? Paul says he will.

Let's back up a minute. I said I would run from the devil incarnate. I mean, wouldn't he have big horns, breathing fire, and a really mean snarl? I guess he would. So, I would be scared, and I would RUN! But what if he didn't? What if he wasn't mean and scary? What if he was whispering gossip in my ear? What if he was on a really, really funny TV show that made me laugh even though the language was, shall we say, "coarse"? What if he was a really handsome man, handing out compliments and paying me attention on a really bad day? I mean, I would still run from the devil then, right?

Well, I guess that brings me to the key part of this verse. Paul gives us several instructions in this chapter about how to come near to God, two in this verse. First, submit to God. That means to yield to his authority - let Him be the boss of you. And next, RESIST the devil. Don't follow him! Don't listen to his silky words! So maybe that means we run from him. Maybe we just get up in his face and claim scripture.

Later in James, Paul describes the devil as "a roaring lion looking for someone to devour," and instructs us again to "resist him, standing firm in the faith." (5:9) So, however you gotta do it, just do it! Resist the devil! Maybe you need to move your seat away from that stream of gossip. Or maybe you need to pick up the remote and turn the channel. Or maybe you need to claim scripture you have hidden away in your heart that will help you renew your thoughts and your mind and get back on track. Whatever direction the devil is trying to lure you in, just go the other way!

And what happens next? The devil will flee from YOU! Why? Maybe it's because when we resist him by claiming the power of the Holy Spirit in us, he realizes we are a waste of time and so he moves on to an easier target. But, I think it's because he knows who our Daddy is, and deep down, he is scared of Him. ("...the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" 1 John 4:4.) For whatever reason, the devil will flee from ME if I resist him. I can just see his little legs running - just like Elizabeth's fingers . . . .