RESIST

Ready for some good news today?  This is for you Christian women out there taking your battle with sin seriously. There is an easy way to put the devil on the run.  This simple method is found in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  Did you catch that “R” word?  Resist.  We resist, he flees.  


If you are like most women (and you are) you feel the enemy breathing down your neck from the time you first crack your lids in the morning.  Our antagonist continues to poke at us throughout our day.  Reminding us of our weaknesses and pointing out temptations.  Often we walk right into his traps, drawn by the desires within us.  We wish we had the strength or understanding to fight back.  Are there magic words we could say?  Or some holy kung-fu we could learn?


Ladies, it isn’t even that hard.  The command (it is an imperative sentence) is to resist.  That’s it.  Resist and the devil flees.  He doesn’t casually stroll away as if he wasn’t all that interested in little you after all.  No, he FLEES.  Why?  Because of sentence number one in that very same verse.   “Submit yourselves therefore to God.”  You belong to God.  You are a called-out child of THE superpower of the universe.  You are not afraid of the enemy.  You know the truth.  You believe the truth.


This reference will date me, but so be it.  This reminds me of a scene from the 80s movie Labyrinth .  The main character, Sarah, has been caught up in an elaborate scheme put together by her evil adversary, Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie).  He has taken her baby brother and she is trying to get him back.  Towards the end there is a scene where they meet face to face.  Despite all of her struggles and hard work, Sarah has failed.  Jareth tells her that he will make all her dreams come true, she just has to let him keep her brother forever.  Sarah seems to have no other choice, she feels hopeless.  Then the realization hits her, she remembers the truth.  She says, “You have no power over me.”  She continues to repeat it, getting more excited, “You have no power over me! You have no power over me!” The evil snares set up by her enemy dissolve and she returns to reality.


That is us every day, ladies.  Realizing the bully we put up with far too often has NO power over us.  Zero, zilch, nada, nil. He is a faker.  Quit playing his game of fear and anxiety.  RESIST him.  No elaborate conversations, no conjuring of angels to fly to your aid.  Resist him with the knowledge that you are under the authority and protection of God.  Then he has to run.  He has no choice, it is part two of the promise.  There are too many others willing to dance with him, he will not waste his time on you when you are walking in godly defiance of his wiles.


When we submit ourselves to God we don’t become timid creatures, afraid of the big bad world and all the temptations it holds.  No!  “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7.  Great courage and conviction comes from being adopted into the family of God.

There you go, Christian woman.  Some good news in your battle against darkness.  “Resist the devil and he will flee from  you.” James 4:7. What a relief that no super-spiritual throat punches are needed.  Next time the enemy comes prowling, remember he has no power over you.  Resist him by refusing to give attention to him.  Know the truth of the Word. Think on the One you belong to and delight in the fact that you are his.  Go and resist, go and rejoice