James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
It is easy to make getting the victory complicated. The problem lies with our hearts, which are naturally prone to go against God.
Most people had some sinful habit in the past before they were saved, but the temptations come that make you want to pick it up again – and again.
Satan knows your every weakness and he knows your past. He knows which buttons to push to hit you in your weak spot.
The verse above is a promise. It is not complicated because God wants all His children to get the victory. It must be realized that Christ already got the victory over sin and Satan for us. We simply need to enter into the victory He obtained for us when Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.
We enter into His victory by submitting ourselves to Him and reckoning ourselves to be dead unto sin. Paul tells us “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Ro. 6:12). Submission and resisting with God’s help are all that is needed for victory.
The promise has been given that “sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Ro. 6:14). God promised it.
Submission speaks of an active obedience. There is something God wants every believer to do and then there are some special things that He desires some to do. Are you willing to do them? That is what submission requires.
Satan may flee for a little while, but you can be sure he will be back. It is why Jesus told the Apostles more than once to watch. And when he comes back – submit to God and keep on resisting the wicked one.