In summary of James 4:7 it says,
“So humble yourselves before God, let him work his will in you. Resist the devil, yell a loud “no” and he will flee from you”
Bottom line:
When tempted, gain strength from God and his will in your life. Tell the enemy “no” and watch him leave.
What this means to me:
When tempting situations come I need to be humble and refocus myself on something different. When I resist the enemy, he will run away from me. At times a temptation seems very overpowering and something I’m unable to not given into, but that's a lie from the enemy. God has promised never to allow more on me than he puts within me to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that I could not overcome. However, I must do my part too by practicing biblical methods for defeating temptation. When the temptation comes, I should refocus my attention on something besides the temptation thought itself. His Word doesn’t tell me to "resist temptation" instead I am to "resist the enemy," and that is very different. Refocusing works because trying to resist a thought simply doesn't. To resist the thought will only intensifies my focus on the wrong thing and in turn strengthen its allure. Whatever I resist, persists! Temptation always begins with a thought, so the quickest way to neutralize its allure is to turn my attention to something else. Don't fight the thought, just change the channel of my mind and get interested in another idea. The battle for sin will be won or lost in my mind. Whatever gets my attention will get me. That's why it appear Job said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman." (Job 31:1 NLT) And even David prayed, "Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless." (Psalm 119:3a TEV) Today Father I ask for the Holy Spirit within me to bring these methods to mind next time I’m tempted.
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