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, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:7-8)

Temptations Lose Their Power

Annie Sherwood Hawks (1872) wrote the powerful hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” In the second verse, she pleads with the Lord to stay nearby because temptations lose their power when God is near. Nothing is more fundamental in life than to realize the closer one comes to the radiance of God’s righteousness, the dimmer the prospects of temptation having power over the heart. Light and darkness do not dwell in harmony and cannot possess the same place. God is the ultimate light with a brilliance to drive away the darkness of Satan’s power. The devil does not want anyone to know how powerless he is. His lies and deceit convince men that he cannot be defeated. There is no doubt how powerful the great serpent is compared to the human spirit. The greatest tool the Christian has to defeat Satan is to stay near the Father, and there is nothing the devil can do. He cannot get close when a child of God is near the Father.

Sin overcomes the soul when the heart draws away from God. Temptations lose their power only when one is near the grace of God. Every time the heart succumbs to the wiles of the devil, it is because a decision was made to ease away from the glory of God. The answer to overcoming sin is to find ways to stay near the Father, allowing His presence to drive away the darts of the evil one. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the Father to keep them from temptation. God will not allow His child to be tempted in a way he cannot overcome. Sin happens when one is drawn away from that protection.

Defeating temptation requires submitting to the will of the Father. There is nothing a man can do to fight Satan apart from God. The first and most deadly mistake is to assume the devil can be dealt with apart from the power of God. Man is incapable of fighting Satan. He will lose every time. If a man refuses to submit to God, he is bowing to Satan. It is in submission to God the devil can be resisted. What is remarkable about the heart submitting to God is that the devil flees when the knee bows in reverence to the Lord. He runs away because he cannot dwell in the light of God. There is a simplicity about overcoming sin that is sometimes lost in the mind of human wisdom. God does not require a man to battle against the adversary alone because only through His power of divine love can sin be defeated. It begins with submission and staying near the Father. There is no fear when the child remains near the protective arms of the Creator and Savior of the world.

Drawing near to God is how God draws near. When the heart is cleansed of the dross of pride and failure of human wisdom, the power of God will encase the soul with the brilliance of glory that drives away the evil intentions of Satan. Jesus defeated everything Satan stands for, and the devil has no power when God is nigh. Cleansing the heart of the trappings of the world, purifying the soul to be singular in devotion to the will of the Father, will drive Satan away every time. There will be times of weakness when the appeal of the devil returns. The grace of God brings forgiveness from a penitent heart, which drives Satan away again. Temptations lose their power when God is near. Draw near to God, and Satan will have less influence in your life. Keep the devil running away. He knows where his final destiny is determined. It’s not near God.