Title: Resist the Devil
Scripture: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. To resist means to withstand, strive against, or oppose in some manner. This is God’s promise and He will keep it. If we resist the adversary, God will compel him to flee and will give us the victory. Just as a citizen would claim the protection of his government against an outrage or injustice by violent men, so we can, at all times fearlessly defy and resist Satan our enemy. At the same time we are not to stand on the adversary’s ground by any attitude or disobedience. Resisting the devil must be accompanied by submitting to God. A disobedient or unsubmissive believer will not see victory. In all aspects of our lives the Lord must reign supreme. He must have the final say. If we resist God then we cannot resist the devil with the authority of God’s Word. The Great Wall of China is so massive it can be seen from outer space. It was meant to keep the enemy out. But it failed? How? The enemy could bribe gatekeeper to let them in. The Gatekeeper of our hearts must be faithful to the Word of God or the wall of restraint will do no good
[pullquote] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: – 1 Peter 5:8 [/pullquote]Why will resistance cause the devil to flee? Because he knows he cannot have victory over us if we are prepared to do battle against him. The following are guidelines I would suggest:
- Do Not Engage Satan In Your Own Strength. You need to draw the power from Jesus as Christians on a daily basis.
- Pray Constantly. “Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge to the devil.” Tell God of your own inability to detect and respond to temptation; tell him that you are utterly dependent upon his grace name
- Continue Communing With God: consistency is the key to victory, prayer or resisting the enemy is not one off exercise.
- Be Constantly on Guard: Be vigilant and focus, the devil is always on the move to steal kill and destroy (John 10:10)
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Ephesians 6:12
We must not be afraid to use the name of the Lord, against the enemy. The scripture says Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11
Prayer Point
- Father, please release the grace to resist the devil in all areas of my life
- Father, empower me to fight the enemy that surrounds me
- Father, please release new level of wisdom upon me to combat my adversaries in the name of Jesus
