I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my great grandmother, Gigi. I had gone to her house to visit and spend some quality time. After baking some homemade quiche, we got into a deep discussion over dessert.
Gigi loved to talk about Jesus, she loved to minister to people and help others grow. And while she handed me the slice of apple pie, she also told me how to resist…the devil.
Some of us are bombarded with temptations every single day. Tempted to sin and do things we know we shouldn’t do.
And temptation does not come from God. James 1:7 tells us all good things come from God, so the bad things come from somewhere else.
And there is a way to actually to overcome temptation and sin altogether.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
The Bible tells us first to submit ourselves to God.
Submitting is not a scary thing. It is simply just yielding to God and giving him the authority and control. Allowing him to be the boss. Submission is expressed voluntarily. Being submissive helps us to be less self-centered and allows us to consider the desires and will of God in our lives.
Pretty much submitting yourself to God just means humbling ourselves and trusting him with our lives.
Then the Bible tells us to resist the devil and he will flee.
How exactly am I supposed to resist him?
We all have weaknesses. We all have stumbling blocks that cause us to sin and struggle.
Now, this is what you need to understand. The enemy will keep coming at you in the same area over and over again until you start resist him. And eventually he will give up because you refuse to give in. He is forced to flee.
For example, my mother had a very bad back a long time ago. She was always in so much pain until she realized that Jesus died to take that pain away. So instead of allowing the temptation to complain and doubt, she chose to stand in complete faith for healing, no matter what.
And guess what? Not only did that pain go away, but she is in complete health. She doesn’t get sick. She refuses to get sick because she is fully submitted to God and resists the devil and his tactics.
But it took many moments of resisting the devil until he finally gave up. And if the devil comes knocking again to see if she will budge, she refuses to give him the satisfaction.
It’s time to stand our ground. Resist everything that the enemy throws at us and force him to leave us the heck alone!
God wants us to live in freedom and all it requires is a little submission and resisting.
Response Questions
1. What sins and temptations do I struggle with?
2. What can you do personally to resist the devil? What actions do you need to take to resist?
Pray with me!
Father God, help me to identify what tempts me. Help me to submit to you every single day. Help me to resist the devil every time I feel tempted until he flees. And if temptation creeps back up, help me to be strong and trust in you completely. I want to be an overcomer every single day. Thank you for your love and wisdom.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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