Battle well, my friends

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. (James 4:7-8)

Resist - we are told that in order to deal with the devil's wiles, we need to assert ourselves. Isn't that what resistance really is? It means we take an active stand, especially when we are faced with an adversary or a morally challenging choice. We 'oppose' evil by standing strong against it. 

Come close - as we resist (push back) on one hand, we come close (are drawn in) to God's tender care and protection. When faced with opposition beyond our ability to handle, we need to draw close to the one who gives us the ability to withstand the attack. Sometimes we try to stand in our own power, forgetting that the greatest strength comes in admitting where we are the weakest. 

We don't admit that to our adversary. We confess it to God, acknowledging that we know we need his help to overcome the enemy's attack. There is nothing smart about trying to handle things in our own strength, especially in areas where we already know we have a 'weak defense'. The assurance we have been given is that when we come close to God, he comes close to us. The distance we maintain between God and ourselves is open for the enemy to march right on in!

Resistance indicates there is some form of spiritual struggle taking place. When faced with these struggles, we can turn tail and run, but that isn't the command we are given. We are told to 'stand' - to resist. The devil is the one who will flee. We are told to stand! From the beginning of time, God has made one requirement of his children: Don't let anything create a distance between him and us. When we allow that distance to be created, we open ourselves up for untold attacks from our enemy.

Part of resisting is fighting back. We don't just stand there dumbfounded in the midst of the battle. We stand and fight. We take up our weapons of warfare, and we begin to battle the best we know how. As we entrust the battle to our God, he comes alongside to help us in the battle. We resist best when we submit the most. Just sayin!