Why Wave The White Flag?
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
The enemy advances against overwhelming odds. He is outnumbered and outmanned—a clearly beaten foe. But suddenly the “victors” jump up and run away! The war is lost without the enemy even being engaged.
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That’s often how Christians respond to Satan’s onslaughts. Instead of standing in the strength that God supplies, they turn and run. No wonder Satan—the defeated adversary—rules nonetheless in so many hearts and homes.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! Listen to A. B. Simpson’s encouraging commentary on one of James’s sentence sermons.
WALK WITH A. B. SIMPSON
“ ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ This is a promise and God will keep it. If we resist our adversary, God will compel him to flee and will give us the victory. We can, at all times, fearlessly stand up in resistance to the enemy, and claim the protection of our heavenly King, just as a citizen would claim the protection of the government against a violent man.
“At the same time, we are not to stand on the adversary’s ground anywhere by any attitude of disobedience, or we give him a terrific power over us, which, while God will restrain in great mercy and kindness, he will not fully remove until we get fully on holy ground.
“Therefore, we must be armed with the breastplate of righteousness, as well as the shield of faith, if we would successfully resist the prince of darkness and the principalities in heavenly places.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Christian, stand your ground! When Satan attacks you today, don’t run. Resist. Claim the promise of James 4:7 to put him on the run. Exercise both humility and courage in your fight against Satan. With those ingredients, plus the assurance of God’s assistance to help you win the battle, victory is inevitable!
After all, why lose a single battle to Satan when Christ has already won the war?
