Running Away and Running To

by Perry Hall

James 4:7-8 is taking on a more powerful meaning to me. Here's the text:

"Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:7-8 CSB).

Why would the devil flee when we submit to God? First, let's define "flee": "To flee away, seek safety by flight" (Thayer). So Satan runs away from danger! What danger is there?

Submitting to God (James 4:7) is drawing near to God, which leads to God drawing near to us. Satan runs away from us because he is running away from God!

If we want to be on God's side, if we want to scare Satan away, we need to run to God for safety. Then Satan will run away from both us and God.