The promise of freedom comes when you and I commit to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, and purify our hearts in the presence of the Lord. Submit, resist, draw near, and purify are active verbs that make a difference in defending our hearts against Satan’s attack on our lives. If you continually refresh your mind with the following steps, you will be more likely to leave the temptations behind you: 1) Commit your ways to God, 2) Come close to Him, 3) Cleanse, and 4) Confess. My pastor once put it like this from James 4:7-8, “Submit therefore 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, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” —Give In, Get Close, Clean Up, and Get Down.
Humbling yourself to God will allow Him lordship of your life. He is all-supreme and wants to be the main authority in your life and the master designer of your days. Keep Jesus as the Source of Truth—your True North. As you fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith (see Hebrews 12:2) and abandon yourself to depths of intimacy with Him, you will discover the freedom that only He can supply. Ask God to, “open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).
By gazing upon His goodness and strength, you will hold the might to resist all that is unpleasing to God. For what you believe deep in your soul will be what you live out. Your internal convictions will dictate your outward actions.
By denying Satan the attention he longs for, he will give up. Yes, this denying of sin will require a mindset shift and strength, but peace will flood your soul with each decision to seek God and clothe yourself in His righteousness.
Obedience is up to you; outcome is up to God.
Satan’s goal is to make life a living hell for believers. That is why you must daily renew your mind. “Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. ” (Romans 13:12-14).
The promise of Satan fleeing from you will take an active pursuit of surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him, and he will turn and run away from the Jesus who lives in you.
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1