The Lord desired a special relationship with the nation of Israel choosing to bless them both spiritually and physically above all other nations. One such blessing involved bringing them safely into the land of Canaan. However, many of these blessings were dependent upon Israel maintaining the right type of relationship with the Lord. He, therefore, issued several commandments for the Israelites to carefully keep (i.e., Deuteronomy chapter 11). The Lord desired for Israel to “hearken diligently” (Deuteronomy 11:13) and “diligently keep” (Deuteronomy 11:22) these commandments. He wanted His people to carefully listen when He spoke, giving God their full attention (listening to every word). He also wanted them to attentively obey what they heard. He always desired for His people to listen to and obey Him. God speaks today through the Bible. He still wants men to diligently hear and obey.
The Devil loves to hinder the spiritual blessings that believers possess in Christ. His most effective means is by destroying the believer’s faith in God’s word and keeping the saint from laying up rewards in heaven. By destroying a believer’s courage, the Devil wins the battle. James 4:7-8 sketches a simple yet effective plan for victory in such times of attack. The believer must first submit to God and His word by submitting his will to the will of God. Next, the saint of God must resist the Devil. When the believer submits to God and resists the Devil, the Devil flees rather than sticking around to watch defeat. When the Devil returns later with renewed attempts to discourage, the believer need only repeat the same scriptural strategy.
