Resist by Grace

How good and fitting it is to magnify and extol God who extends grace to us!  By God's grace we live and have our being, and by His grace we stand.  Even when trials, troubles and temptations arise, by faith we are divinely enables to draw near to God.

After assuring believers that God gives grace to the humble James 4:7 reads, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  Our submission to God provides strength and wisdom to resist the devil who is a murderer, thief and liar from the beginning.  God told Adam the day he ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree he would die, and Satan worked to achieve just that.  He enticed Eve by lies and appealed to the beauty of the fruit and how it could benefit her.  Adam and Eve lacked the capacity to resist Satan because they had not fully surrendered themselves in faith to God and His word.

Satan tried a similar tactic with Jesus after the Holy Spirit led Him to the wilderness.  Jesus was able to resist the temptation to turn stones into bread after he was hungry, not having eaten for 40 days.  Jesus exposed the folly of Satan's lies with the unchanging truth of scripture.  When Satan was unable to sway Jesus from the way of righteousness, he departed from him.  Like thieves who are looking for easy targets who are isolated from others to help them, the devil looks for people who are self-confident and are not humble before the LORD.  For us sinners James 4:8 explains what this looks like:  "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."  It is drawing near to God in faith that prepares us to resist temptation to sin, doubt and not to be troubled.  We do well to avoid the pitfall in our resistance the Hebrews stumbled into, that of resisting the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 5:6-11 shows how faith in Jesus Christ who has overcome Satan, sin and death is critical for us to resist evil:  "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. ¹¹ To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."  When we are tempted to sin, it is an invitation for us to open the cage of a roaring lion who looks to devour us.  Satan walks about chain-free at the moment, seeking an opportunity to pounce.  But the God of all grace, Who is greater than all and has called us to eternal glory, looks to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us in faith in Jesus today.

As we submit to God and humbly seek Jesus Christ, we resist the devil steadfast in the faith.  We all suffer many things in this life and it can seem all is against us.  But we rest assured that our gracious God is for us and has overcome every adversary.  The suffering, tests and  troubles He allows by His grace are working to perfect and sanctify us having been justified through the Gospel.  Let us extol and exalt the God who will exalt us in due time according to the riches of His grace.