Effective resistance

Effective resistance

‘…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (Jas. 4:7 KJV).

In our inescapable encounters with the devil, our position must be that of resistance. To resist is to stand firmly against opposition. We are not supposed to flee from the devil. The Bible says we must never! We are rather encouraged to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10). That’s not all: “Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward” (Heb. 10:35).

The command to resist the devil comes from the Lord Jesus who is the Head of the church, His body. He strategizes the victory plan, and we carry out His plan. If, for example, I want to text a message to a friend, my head designs its content. But without my finger’s cooperation to put the message into writing, my aim is defeated. Similarly, in resisting the devil, Christ as the Head supplies the strength while we as members of His body do the resisting.

God’s intent is that when we resist without wavering, His power is made manifest and the devil flees from us. The power is not ours; it is the power of His might. Whether we like it or not, every Christian who seeks to please the Lord will have to come face to face with situations in which he has to resist the devil. This obligation is every believer’s. it’s not for certain specially-chosen pastors or ministers.

The word of God says we should “use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in time of evil, so that after the battle you will be standing firm” Eph. 6:13. Those pieces of armour include truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation (Eph. 6:14-17). And above all, prayer is not negotiable in this ongoing warfare. It is by prayer that we use and have a ready access to those weapons (Eph. 6:18).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. We have to submit to Christ’s command as our Head and resist the devil as our opponent. In other words, we accept whatever is of Christ and resist whatever is of the devil. We cannot afford to grow weary or fear. By God’s grace we will resist the devil and he will flee from us. In Jesus name!

Today’s corporate prayer: Lord, I ask for the grace to submit to you so as to resist the devil effectively. In the name of Jesus!

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BIBLE IN A YEAR: Hosea 1 – 7