Resisting the devil

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
There are some people today who are all about fighting the devil, seeking to cast him out from every situation that isn’t going their way. It’s true that in Christ we stand victorious over him (1 Cor. 15:57), because He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). But today’s verse doesn’t say anything about casting out Satan. It says to resist him. And this is not even the first port of call. First and foremost, we are to submit to God. As we do so, Satan will attack us – you can be sure of that. But if we stand firm in our faith and resist him, he will flee from us.
Consider how Jesus responded when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. He was in the wilderness because the Holy Spirit had led Him there (Matt. 4:1). Satan tempted Him with three things: turning stones into bread, to satisfy His physical need; throwing Himself down from the temple to prove that He was God; and bowing down to worship him. In all three cases, Jesus resisted, and responded with the Word of God. He did not ‘bind’ him, or curse him, or speak out in tongues against him. We should take note from His example the next time we are tempted. Stand firm in faith, in Christ, and in the Word of God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We already have the victory over him.