The Nugget:
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
My comment:
If it seems the devil has you down, or is camping on your trail, or is otherwise bringing seeming defeat, discouragement, and disappointment your way, this Bible promise in James 4:7 shows the way to victory over Satan and his devices.
It does help greatly in our walk with God if we have a better knowledge of the Bible. When Paul commands, “Put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10), a good part of that armor is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Another part of that armor is to know the correct doctrine as it is given in the Bible itself. If we believe wrong things about God, about prayer, about salvation, about God’s will, we will find it more difficult to submit ourselves to God.
The encouraging promise here, though, is that if we submit ourselves to God, we will resist the devil, and the devil will flee from each one of us who follows this command.
Studying the notes and the cross references for this verse, James 4:7, will enable you to dig much deeper into this subject.
- Submit yourselves therefore. or, Therefore you must be subject. You must be subject translates the force of the imperative aorist passive; when we have a passive, we look for the action of the outside force. Here the outside force is God, and the persons acted upon are you—you must be subject; thus synergistic action, man submits and God acts (LNT, fn s); compare Re 19:8 note. Note there are 11 imperatives in verses 7-11: be subject, resist (ver. 7 (James 4:7), draw near, cleanse, purify (ver. 8, James 4:8), be sorrowful, mourn, weep, be changed (ver. 9, James 4:9), be humbled (ver. 10, James 4:10), must not speak against (ver. 11, James 4:11) [LNT, fn s]. T#298. Le 26:41-43. Dt 27:26. 1 S 3:18. 2 S 15:26. 2 K 1:13-15. 2 Ch 30:8. 33:12, 13. Jb 1:21. 22:21. 40:3-5. 42:1-6. Ps 32:3, 4, 5, 9. +Ps 37:7 (T#536). +Ps 39:9 (T#278). Ps 66:3. 68:30. Is 45:9. Je 13:18. Da 4:25, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37. Mt 6:9, 10. 11:29. +*Ac 3:19. 9:6. 16:29-31. 26:19. Ro 10:3. 14:11. Ep 5:21. He 12:9. 13:17. 1 P 2:13, 23. 5:5-9. to God. Dative case with the aorist has the note of urgency in the imperative (Robertson, Word Pictures). Ro 8:7. 1 Cor 15:28. *He 12:9. Resist. Gr. anthistēmi (S#436g, Ga 2:11). Aorist tense, active voice, imperative mood verb. Take a stand against (Robertson, Word Pictures). Mt 4:3-11. Lk 4:2-13. *Ep 4:27. *Ep 6:11, 12. *1 P 5:8, 9. Re 12:9-11. the devil. Jb 2:1. 1 Ch 21:1. Zc 3:1, 2. Mt 13:39. 25:41. Lk 4:2, 3, 6, 13. 8:12. Jn 13:2. 14:30. Ac 5:3. Ep 4:27. 6:11, 12. 1 Tim 3:6, 7. 2 Tim 2:26. He 2:14. 1 P 5:8. 1 J 3:8. will flee. T#813. Ge 3:15. Lk 10:17. 22:31, 32. *Ro 16:20. 1 J 2:14. *1 J 5:18.