Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:7-10
The RMS Olympic was never as famous as her sister ship, the RMS Titanic, but during the First World War, Olympic earned a unique distinction. The massive ocean liner was commandeered for use as a troop ship, carrying American soldiers to Europe to join the conflict. On May 12, 1918, lookouts aboard Olympic spotted a German submarine, U-103, that had surfaced nearby. In those days, the normal response to a submarine threat was to flee in a zig-zag pattern to evade torpedoes. Instead, Captain Bertram Hayes made a bold decision—he ordered the ship to steer directly toward the enemy vessel. Because of Olympic’s enormous size, the collision quickly sent the submarine to the bottom. Though the bow of the ship was damaged, Olympic safely arrived in port with its soldiers secure. It remains the only time a commercial ocean liner sank a warship in combat.
The devil is powerful, and his threats are real. But we are not without the ability to overcome him. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Word of God, we are instructed to take the fight to the enemy so that instead of running from him, he will end up running from us. Victory over temptation does not come by fear or retreat, but by submission to God, resistance to sin, and confidence in the strength that Christ provides for every believer.
