1 Kings 19:3-4 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness.
Ahab told his wife, Jezebel, about the incident of fire on the altar of the Lord. She was so incensed that she threatened to take Elijah’s life. His response was to flee away as fast and as far as he could. The natural human response to human danger is to fight or flee. In the physical world Elijah could not fight the Queen’s court, so he fled in fear into the southern desert.
When the devil comes after us in many forms and disguises we can put on the whole armor of God and with the Word stand firm. We can flee to the cross and take safety and comfort in it. By faith we understand that the devil’s threats are empty. But the simplest course of action to take is often to avoid his threats and accusations and run away as far as we can. When it comes to Satan we resist the devil and he flees [James 4:7]. Spiritual threats cannot stand against the name of Jesus and the blood of Christ. He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.