Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Devotion based on James 4:7

Martin Luther loved to mock the devil. That especially became the case after he fully realized just how certain and sure Jesus’ love and salvation were for him. He knew that with Jesus and his Word on his side, he could be as bold as the brave boy David was when he faced the giant Goliath. “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,” David told that Philistine warrior, “but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head” (1 Samuel 17:45,46). With Jesus on his side, Luther knew that his victory over the devil was just as certain as David’s victory over Goliath. It would result in a blowout.

But what would have happened to David or Luther if they hadn’t entered their battles with Jesus and his powerful promises at their side? They would have been swiftly defeated and stripped of their brashness. Simply put, if they had believed they could defeat the dark forces of this world based on their own power or wisdom, they would have quickly learned otherwise. Without Jesus, none of us are a match for the devil—he will win every time.

But as Saint James reminds us today, when we resist the devil in Jesus’ name, armed with the sword of the Spirit, his holy Word (Ephesians 6:17), we can’t lose. That doesn’t mean the devil won’t attack us daily with temptation; he most certainly will. But when we resist the devil in Jesus’ name, James assures us, “he will flee from you.”

And so, we sing with Luther:

Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us,

Prayer: