Resist the Devil

My folks and I went to lunch and then a long drive through the country. Upstate NY has some of the prettiest vistas of any place I have ever seen. Historic farms nestled in rolling hillsides with pastures and forests dotting all the way to the horizon where billowing clouds explode across the sky. As we drove, Dad mentioned, "Just think of the landscapes you could paint...."

It's true. I love the landscapes of upstate NY.  It is a simple, non-pretentious landscape. Homes are simple, sturdy, and functional. Roads are winding. The hillsides are lush in the summer, covered with fields with newly mown hay, and patches of dense forest. It is a soothing landscape, and gentle on one's soul. When we passed by people near the roadside, they paused and waved. Not many cars traversed these quiet routes, and people took the time and effort to acknowledge the few who did. Peaceful. Friendly. Restorative. No new disasters struck for the first time in many days. I appreciated the reprieve, as it seems like I have been in a war lately, and I am losing strength to fight.

The verse I focused on yesterday was this: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭  I think of that verse often. What does it mean exactly to submit to God and resist the devil? In the New Testament, the greek word for Submit is hupotasso. Hupo means 'under', and tasso means 'to arrange.'  We are to arrange our lives under the will and direction of God. There is an emptying of self through the most important action of self. To surrender to God. Submission requires an act of humble obedience to authority.

In contrast, the Greek word for 'resist' (as in resisting the devil) is anthistemi. It means 'anti': opposite, and thistemi: to stand. We are to stand in opposition to the devil. One submits to authority, but one must stand in defiance to evil. One requires great emptying of self will, and the other requires great strength of will it seems. However, we are not alone in resisting.

Check this out:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:6-11

God will make us firm and steadfast, but we must be willing to begin the process by standing firm ourselves as much as we are able. This verse warns us that when we undergo trials, Satan attacks like a roaring lion, knowing in our weakness we may be most easily devoured. But to those in Christ, God will Himself restore our strength, giving us the power to resist when our own power is gone.

That gives me comfort.