We love the passage from James that says,” Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” It makes us feel powerful and in control. But to truly understand the passage we need to look at it in context.
That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:6-10).
The promise that Satan (or his representatives) will run from us is found in the center of a passage that speaks about submission and humility. Jesus said that if demons are cast out by the finger of God then the kingdom of God has come to men (See Luke 11:20). But he also said, “Blessed are the pour in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:3). Humility is the key to power in the kingdom of God. Don’t assume that humility is the same as timidity or a self-loathing view of ourselves. Jesus described himself as gentle and humble in heart but he was neither timid nor unsure of himself.
Humility before God is simply knowing that we are totally dependent on him and spiritually bankrupt without him. It is remembering who the Father is and that we are his children and remembering that he is King and that we are not. As long as we are clear about the source of power in our lives we can be entrusted with that power. The moment we believe that we are the source of power that power will be diverted. Notice the comparison between Paul and certain Jewish exorcists in Acts 19.
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. (Acts 19:11-16)
Paul constantly fixed his eyes on Jesus. His view was that it was no longer he who lived but Christ who lived through him. Paul was clear that all that he had and all that he was came to him by the grace of God. He was certain that whatever power was displayed in his life was from God and was exercised to bring glory to God rather than himself. As a result, God was pleased to display his power through Paul with “extraordinary” miracles.
In contrast, certain Jews launched their own ministry of deliverance undoubtedly for financial gain. They used the name of Jesus for personal profit even though they had no relationship with him. These first century “ghost busters” got away with their bravado and presumption for a while until they met a demon who did not flee but who beat the daylights out of them. Satan doesn’t run just because someone shows up shouting the name of Jesus. He s when men and women of standing in the kingdom show up because they carry with them the authority of Christ and the more submitted we are to the Father the more authority we carry. James says that we should humble ourselves before God and he will exalt us or promote us. Faithful servants, who do exactly as the master commands, are given more in the kingdom of God.
As always, the kingdom is paradoxical. The first shall be last and the greatest must be the servant of all. To have standing in the kingdom we must humble ourselves. No trash talking in this league, no double-mindedness, no taking sin lightly. I stood in a long security line once at a major U.S. airport and overheard a group that had apparently just returned from an evangelistic campaign in South America. The leader of the group was literally talking about how amazing his preaching had been and how many had responded to his preaching. In the two or three minutes I listened I never heard him give God glory for anything. He was young and I chose not to speak into the situation but I wonder if he is still preaching today or whether he has been taken out of the game by Satan who had no need to flee from a man who had no humility.
Stewardship is our primary role on earth. We steward the things of God either for his purposes or for our purposes. You know the parable of the talents. The faithful steward who remembers whose resources he manages and who remembers how the master wanted them to be handled is entrusted with more. Those who forget their source or who ignore his ways because “they know better” will have those resources taken away. Authority is a resource. Satan flees from those who walk in the authority of their king. The humble and the pour in spirit carry the most authority. Be blessed today.
