Resist and Renew

If you ask a Christian how to do battle with the devil, he will probably recite: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, NKJV). But what does James mean by resist and how do we resist Satan’s power?

To understand we look to see what the apostle John writes: “The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time…” (Revelation 12:14). I believe the two eagles’ wings John speaks of here are the Old and New Testaments of God’s Word. When the devil comes against us, we are able to fly over him on the wings of God’s Word to a place of being nourished by God.

The apostle Paul also uses the word nourish, writing, “…nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed" (1 Timothy 4:6). The Greek word for nourished here means educated. Paul is talking about being educated in the Scriptures and knowledgeable of God’s Word.

Jesus is our example here. When he resisted temptation with God’s Word, the devil fled. Why? Because the truth exposed Satan, putting him to shame. Hebrews says that all who have trusted in God’s Word “through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions” (Hebrews 11:33). We muzzle the powers of hell by standing on God’s Word.

So, when you hear the lion’s roar, fall on your face before the Father. Immerse yourself in his Word and his eagles’ wings will carry you above every overwhelming flood of temptation. “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

When you are alone with God in prayer, you are totally immune to the devil’s devices. So run to his throne by faith, call on him, and stand on the power of Christ’s blood.