How to Resist the Devil

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

Satan always seeks to your usurp our territory. By yielding in one temptation we let the devil into our trench and give him a fair advantage to do us more mischief. The angry man, while he is raging and raving, thinks he will only say so much, but alas while his fury and wrath are rallying, the devil finding the door open, enters and hurries him farther than he ever dreamt of.

The best way to never give him a foothold. Never venture near the door where sin dwells, lest you are dragged in. If you do not wish to be burned, don’t walk upon the coals of temptation. Do not think that you can yield to Satan in one thing and make believe that you will not yield in another. You cannot sit with drunkards and pretend you will not become one. You cannot lend your eyes to unchaste object and yet be chaste. These are strong delusions. If a man does not have the power to resist the devil in small temptations, what ground does he have that he can in great ones?

When a captain directs his soldiers to fight in their ranks, he bid them to stand. Military discipline allows no one to stir from their place without special warrant. Every Christian needs to stand where God has placed him. The devil’s method is first to route and then ruin. We must stay with our own duty and contentiously attend to it so God will bring us safely to our journey’s end.

Paul charged Timothy to give himself wholly to the discharge of his duty. The power of godliness lies in this. It is a contradiction to profess to know God but in your works to deny him. This can never be reconciled. He that is not a Christian in his shop is not a Christian in his closet, and is a hypocrite at church. Wound religion in one part and it is felt in every part. Stand firm!

William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour

From Voices from the Past, Edited by Richard Rushing