Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NKJV)
The three parts to this verse are in a distinct order. We are to submit to God first.
When we grow our relationship with God by laying claim to His promises and submitting to the truths in His Word, it strengthens us internally. It’s like being hooked up to an IV receiving an infusion of His joy, peace, love and power!
This internal strength comes by spending time with Him and plugging into a life-giving church or even an online community of like-minded believers. Even reading a good Christian teaching book or listening to worship music with Biblical lyrics provides opportunities to submit our heart to Him.
That’s because when we’re submitted to God, we’re better empowered to resist the enemy. If we want to go through life enjoying God’s promises and His presence while keeping the enemy at bay, our heart needs to hold a firm, ongoing resistance against the enemy. That comes by daily fuelling our hearts and minds with what God says.
Then, when we stand firm against the devil’s deceitful lies, he flees. It doesn’t say “in some cases,” “hopefully,” or “usually.” It simply states a fact: he will flee.
The Oxford Dictionary defines fleeing as “running away from someone, as from danger.” We hold powerful resistance against Satan’s lies when we’re submitted to God first. How powerful? Well, the Oxford Dictionary’s synonyms for “flee” paint a strong picture: “to bolt, to beat a hasty retreat, to leave hastily”.
Submit to God first, and in Him you’ll find all the strength, wisdom and guidance you need to continually resist the enemy and send him running in terror.