Is It Really That Easy?

James 4:7 states "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Recently I was asked if it was truly just as simple as resisting temptation. Surely the Bible would not ask us to do anything that was impossible?
The truth is that many things are, through God, controlled by our minds. The physical world is even effected by our brain. Have you ever made yourself sick by worrying too much? Or maybe you accomplished a goal just by believing first? The Bible describes a man without faith as one that's tossed about in the wind Not rooted in one idea, but swaying wildly. Faith comes with believing. You must believe that you can overcome any temptation.
Many have told me from their own personal experience that this quote proves true time and time again. In one case the person had been cleaning up their vocabulary. They had tried using word replacement. At first the words would still come to mind, and when they were angry they would think them. Soon, though, their perseverance paid off, and now it is rare that foul words even cross their mind.
So, yes, the devil may not run of screaming at the first signs of resistance, but if you show him that you don't have weak points in certain parts of your fortress, he'll stop trying to break those portions down.