You've been quoting the verse.. "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you." You've said it. You've prayed it. You've tried to apply it. And the devil hasn't fled. Here's why. James 4:7 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible.

And almost nobody reads what comes before it. Because what comes before it changes everything about how you understand it. James 4:1-3 opens with war. Not spiritual warfare from the outside — war from within. The Greek word for fights is polemos — severe conflict, warfare, battle. And James says that war starts with hedone — pleasure-driven desires, sensual appetites, self-gratification. Whatever gives your flesh pleasure long enough eventually becomes your master. You can't resist the devil while secretly agreeing with the fleshly things that have been destroying your life.

You can' ...