Flee and Resist — The Twin Commands of Scripture

 


Scripture does not leave the believer guessing about how to respond when temptation rises. Two clear, complementary commands run throughout the New Testament: flee and resist. They are not optional suggestions; they are the God-appointed strategy for victory.

First, flee. “Flee fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:18). “Flee also youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). “Flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). In the realm of sexual impurity, covetousness, and anything that functions as an idol, the Holy Spirit’s instruction is immediate withdrawal. Joseph did not stay in Potiphar’s house to “prove his strength”; he fled (Genesis 39:12). The man who lingers near the edge of sexual temptation, who keeps the phone nearby “just in case,” who continues to feed the eyes with images he knows are wrong, is disobeying a direct command. There is a time to stand and fight; there is also a time to run. For the lusts of the flesh, the time is always now.

Second, resist. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9). Resistance is not passive endurance; it is active, faith-filled opposition. It begins with submission to God—placing the whole life under His authority—and continues with a settled refusal to believe the devil’s lies. The devil flees from a believer who is submitted to God and who answers every suggestion with the Word of God, just as the Lord Jesus did in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

These two commands work together. Some temptations must be fled because proximity itself is dangerous. Other assaults—the accusing whisper, the sudden doubt, the temptation to bitterness or unbelief—must be resisted with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. The believer who tries to “stand and fight” every sensual temptation will usually fall; the believer who flees the occasion and then stands against the accuser finds the way of escape that God has promised (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Practically, this means decisive action. Delete the account. Cancel the subscription. Leave the room. Change the route. Tell a godly friend. Memorize the verse that speaks directly to the temptation and quote it aloud when the pressure comes. Do not negotiate with sin. Do not “see how close you can get.” The flesh is never satisfied with a little; it always wants more. The devil is never content with a foothold; he wants the whole life. Therefore the only safe response is immediate, Spirit-empowered obedience to the twin commands: flee what must be fled, and resist what must be resisted.

Dear brother or sister, the Lord has not left you without a strategy. The same Word that commands you to flee and to resist also supplies the power to obey. Take the next step today. Identify the place, the habit, or the relationship that must be fled, and then stand firm in the faith against every lie of the enemy. He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)


DMMC 

11-9-26


Location: Dublin, IN, USA

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