Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Unicorns

April 5

Read: James 4:6-8

Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Unicorns

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

(v.7,8)

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (v.7)  What a statement. What goes through your mind when you read that phrase? Do you say to yourself, ‘Wow, James must be so superstitious!” Maybe you think to yourself, “In the days of Jesus, that must have been important.” The truth is that we don’t really think of the devil as our problem anymore. The Enlightenment and modern thinking have erased a good bit of the Christian thinking on the devil and his minions. It most likely seems archaic to you to think of “resisting the devil”… sort of like “resist the tooth fairy and she will flee from you”  or “resist Santa Claus and he will leave your house.” Here is the truth: the devil likes it that way!

Jesus came to conquer the devil and defeat those powers that war against the Lord. (cf. Col. 2:15, John 16:33, 1 Cor. 15:26-27, etc.) All authority has been given to Jesus - in heaven and on earth - and that authority has been entrusted to YOU as a child of God. (cf. Matt 28:18) You are in Christ and Christ is in you… and so is his authority that you have been given. This is why the devil less when we resist. God didn’t inspire this passage because it was a non-event or impossibility for you to be attacked by the devil… quite the contrary. The spiritual battle is real - AND SO IS THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS. We need only “resist”. Resisting is putting up a fight… it is pressing back against… it is running away. When the devil attacks, this is how we respond and the authority, power, and strength of Jesus cause the devil to flee. The second most prevalent tactic of the devil is this: if he can’t trick you into thinking he does not exist, he wants you to think that he is more powerful than he really is… and that resistance is futile. THE SCRIPTURES TEACH US OTHERWISE. Resist and he will flee… this is how good, powerful, and majestic the name of Jesus truly is.

What may be even more shocking than the fleeing devil to some of us is the second part of this reading: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” (v.8) Do we think about this in the same way as the devil? Do we read this and it is like we just read, “Draw near to the easter bunny and he will draw near to you”… or “Draw near to a unicorn and they will draw near to you.” I am afraid that sometimes we do the same thing with God. How amazing is this truth though?! Draw near to God an the will draw near to you. God is not hiding from you. He is not distant. He has not abandoned you… or left you for dead. God is willing, ready, and waiting to draw near to his children. The progression is simple: submit to the Lord, resist the devil, draw near to God and he draws near to you. (v.7,8) In a sense, drawing near is the OPPOSITE of resisting. Drawing near is reaching out, accepting, receiving, trusting, believing, not running away but coming closer. It is the opposite of a fight… more like a hug. God wants to draw near to you… he is coming in for a hug. He wants to hold you and talk to you… he wants to share a meal with you… he wants to grab coffee. Furthermore, when you are in the fifth against the devil, you should run towards him and he will come alongside you and resist with you against the attacks of the evil one!

Resist and draw near. The devil will flee, and God comes close. This is not the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, easter bunny, unicorn stuff… This is TRUE. Don't take my word for it alone; try it today! Read the word of God, listen to his Spirit, and ask those around you if it is real. Resist and draw near today. Love you guys! - JDP