James 4:7 (NKJV)

Bible Commentary

James 4:7 is a popular Bible verse from the New Testament that tells us how to shake the devil off our trail.

Do you ever feel hemmed in, like the walls are closing in around you? You feel pressure coming at you from every direction, and there’s no place to hide?

I was recently at a group Bible study where the teacher talked about how the devil operates in the dark. In our mountain top experiences, we enjoy the Presence of Jesus in the light, for He is light. However, in those darker times, God’s presence seems to be hidden from us.

The teacher pointed out that the dark is nothing more than a shadow. And where there is a shadow, it is indicative of light on the other side of the shadow.

The shadow itself cannot harm us, but it is dreadful and fearful so we tend to run away from it rather than running through it. If we know and believe that light is on the other side of the shadow, we would take courage to run through it as quickly as we could.

Unlocking the Truth – Submit to God

But if our fear is bigger than our faith, we not only run from the shadow (the dark), but it clings to us and we have a hard time shaking it. Because our faith is small, the dark has power over us.

Doubt is one of the devil’s most powerful weapons. He uses it to keep us down–depressed, oppressed or suppressed. We might read the Bible every day, but unless we take the Lord at His Word and allow it to really take root in our hearts, it is difficult to grow our faith and live in victory.

We must make a concerted effort—a sacrifice of our time and the discipline to drink in the meanings of His Words—to rise in faith and overcome. Look at James 4:7.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

That’s an important way to submit to God. Give Him the best of what you have—your most valued time and attention. He will most certainly multiply back what you give to Him. He has done so in my own life and the lives of my family.

One Greek meaning of the word “submit” is: to place beneath, be under obedience.

We must get off our high horse and recognize that God is Lord. We buy into the lie that our life is our own and we can do whatever we want with it. We chase success, prosperity, popularity, fame and fortune; but if we’re Christians, we have accepted the atoning gift of Jesus Christ and therefore have submitted our lives to Him. We have secured our place in Heaven, but what about for the “here and now”?

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

We also buy into the lie that since we accepted Christ, we did our “religious duty” and our responsibilities toward God are taken care of. We forfeit so many blessings and gifts when we “put God on the shelf.” And not only that, we can be easy target practice for the devil.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

We might just get whatever we’re searching for apart from God, but then what? What we pursue for the purpose of our own honor or glory is vain and empty. Most likely, we don’t even recognize our selfish ambitions until we get in the Word.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

What we pursue for God’s honor and glory is richly satisfying. There is no safer and more satisfying place to be than in submission to Jesus Christ, our Lord. When He is honored, so are we.

I’ll say it again. When we live our lives to honor God, He honors us in return.

Study the Bible verse of James 4:7, submit to God so the devil will flee from you.