“Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” ~ James 4:7, KJV

Something that we as people don’t realize today is that we are very much able to do battle with the devil and win.  How do we battle him?  We resist him!  Get me not wrong, however– it is very difficult most of the time to overcome the temptations that the snake throws into our path.  I will also tell you this: it’s very easy to succumb to the temptation.

Satan tells us many lies. We must turn to the Gospel truths to see the true path.

Take a few moments and reread today’s verse.  Read it carefully.  Tuck it into your heart.  It is one of the most powerful truths in the Bible.  If we resist Satan, he will FLEE from us.  He won’t just turn away, nor will he get irate and walk off pouting.  No; instead, he will turn tail and run away because he is afraid of the power that God gives us over him.

Here is the true question: how do we resist him?  To answer this, let us first talk of how he tempts us.

Think back to the Gospels.  At one point, Jesus was tempted by Satan over and over again.  He was offered food, fame, and riches.  Those are Satan’s three primary temptations; it’s like a template for leading us astray.  First, he uses physical temptations: food, drink, sex, and bodily pleasure.  Next, he moves on to emotional and egoism: fame, glory, venting, and things that make us feel good emotionally.  Finally, if the others don’t work, he goes on to offer us secondary reinforcers: money, riches, power over others, and ways to have an easy life.

These things are very difficult to overcome most of the time.  How can we possibly overcome all of these “wonderful” things?  Do it like Jesus did!  Instead of just saying nothing while being tempted, what did our Lord do?

He quoted scripture.  “Scriptures say, ‘thou shalt serve the Lord your God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”  With each temptation, Jesus used a scripture to push Satan away.

Just as Jesus has done, so can you.  Go with God, and He will go with you.