James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

God has extended an open invitation to everyone to come into a covenant relationship with him. He did so by allowing his Son to die on the cross at Calvary.  He can only look at us and forgive us because Christ satisfied the standard of righteousness he required. Having made that sacrifice, he then asks us to acknowledge his Son as Savior and Lord of our lives. When we do, the covenant relationship is set in motion. Out of the relationship should flow a newness of life on many levels. If you are willing and obedient, his indwelling Holy Spirit will move to transform you not just to become a hopeful, productive and loving person, but one who desires to see the Kingdom of God come in the earth. This is what 2 Corinthians 5:17 means where it says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

There is a need then for believers to understand how the kingdom of Satan is diametrically opposed to the Kingdom of God. It is all about the leadership of each. When Jesus introduced himself as the good shepherd he explained the difference between himself and the opposition in this way: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). In seeking to encourage elders and young men of the church in Asia Minor which was experiencing persecution, the Apostle Peter was equally blunt in identifying the opposition: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5: 8).

From these Scriptures we realize that living the “new life” requires us to be fully engaged in recognizing and resisting the tricks of the devil. The seemingly ‘innocent’ temptations to which we yield initially can turn out to be icebergs. Therefore “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). The ability to resist is contingent upon the willingness to submit.