James 4:7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.

I think a lot of times we want to skip right to the last few words of this scripture-“and he will flee from you.” However, according to this scripture, there are a lot of actions that must take first.

The first action is us submitting to God. If we want the devil to flee from our lives the first thing we must do, according to this scripture, is submit to God. Submission is an action. It is something we must actively do in our lives every single day. It involves a willingness to lay our lives down and walk in the will of God. It means His will not ours, His plan not ours, His way not ours. It means choosing to walk in the Spirit and not our flesh. It requires us to live a Biblical life, even when it is hard.

The next action in the verse is resisting the devil (demons). That means when the mental and physical attacks come we do not just sit passively by hoping it stops. It doesn’t mean we go hide under the covers waiting for it to pass. It means we RESIST.

We command it to go in the name of Jesus and we do not stop fighting until the demons flee. That may mean we stay in the fight for 5 mins, 10 mins, 30 mins, or longer. We stay in the fight until we win the battle. We do not let them gain an inch in our lives. If we want freedom it means we have to fight for it. There is nothing passive about spiritual warfare and it is not easy-it is warfare.

Thankfully we have the Spirit of God living inside us to help, God has given us His Word that offers us specific battle strategies, and God is on our side! We have the name of Jesus that makes the demons flee, but we have to verbally use His name to win the battles. We cannot just sit by hoping they stop attacking us. As soon as that whisper of temptation, racing thoughts, depression, anxiety, memories from our past that are used for torment, worrying about what others think of us, worrying about our future, fear, etc. comes our way we have to fight it every single time. As soon as it starts we have to confront it and never just ignore it, hope it away, or give in.

Do not let the demons make you give in to victimhood mentality. You are not a victim, life doesn’t just happen to you, and you are not out of control. You have a choice. You can take your life back, but you have to TAKE it back. It will not just happen by accident.

If you want your life back, take it back. Get in the fight. Surrender fully to God, resist the devil, and keep resisting until every single demon flees every single time. You will have battles. Sometimes they will be fierce battles, but God has given you the victory if you use the tools He offers.

I don’t want you to think I am out of touch or that I don’t get it. I often face very difficult battles, so I get how hard it can be. However, I refuse to go back to one moment of bondage. I understand my territory and I am not letting the demons take any of it. There are times the battle is raging and I think I cannot stand one more minute, but God is so faithful. He is my strength, joy, hope, and peace. With Him I can walk though any storm. It is not by my own strength or even knowledge, but by His. That is all part of living a surrendered life to Him.

Blessings,

Nichole Henson

Fullness of Joy Ministry

Fullnessofjoyministry@gmail.com