Resist the Devil

Ken

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 KJV). Submission to God gains His protection. Only then we can carry out any strategy to resist the wicked one. Since Christ’s shed blood on the Cross gains us the forgiveness of our sins, then it alone can defeat the power of Satan over us. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). Satan counts upon us being overcome by the allurement of the world. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1John 2:16).
He knows, if he can only get us to commit one sin, then we have already begun the destructive practice of sin. And, “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34 NKJV). What breaks the cycle of sin? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9 KJV). Based upon Christ substituting His suffering on the Cross for our sins, He paid the “wages of sin” (Romans 6:23), which is “death” (6:23), and He can then forgive us, if we repent. By faith, we accept His payment for ourselves, repent of our sins, and proclaim our loyalty to Christ before the world, which is done at baptism, then we are raised in faith as newborn members of Christ’s Body, which is the Church. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). So, resisting the devil begins our victory, but the Holy Spirit given to us is the real source of our overcoming the devil and sin. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Father, You have made faith so simple, a child can believe. May our childlike confidence in You cause us to resist the devil, that he would flee from even us. Make it to be so. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen.