Resist the Devil
James 4:7 (NLT) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Have you ever felt like the enemy has been attacking you left and right? That you cannot catch a break? God has an answer to this problem. In James chapter 4 it says we are to humble ourselves before God - let's stop there and ask ourselves honestly, are we humble before him? What about when you are going through a difficult situation, do you try to fix the problem yourself? Or are you taking this matter to prayer first and asking God to help you and give you His strength and wisdom for the victory? When we try to fix things on our own, we are telling God that we are smarter than Him and we don't want to mess with getting Him involved. Like He somehow isn't going to have the best answer for us. God is all-knowing, He will guide us to the right path, the path of blessing and righteousness, not the path of destruction.
Next, we are told to resist the devil. What does that look like? Resisting the devil would be ignoring the voices of confusion, chaos, and lies and knowing the truth of God's word and standing on the scripture. When the enemy was tempting Jesus, Jesus always responded with scripture, in the correct context! The enemy knows the scripture too, but his plan is to twist God's words to make you feel safe and okay in your sin. Resist the devil (literally apply pressure) by knowing God's promises for your life. Stand firm in your own faith, not leaning on the faith of others.
We are all responsible for ourselves and then for what we teach others. We are here to encourage one another, love one another and lift each other up. The best way to get back at the enemy is by doing good! If you are struggling to conceive, the enemy wants you to become hateful and bitter toward those who are having babies; resist and bless them with gifts and love on them and pray for them. This will drive the devil crazy!
If you are struggling to make ends meet, I encourage you to pray and ask God where you can give more, watch how He will bless you for your obedience and sacrifice and the enemy will see that you really believe what God says and his tactics of getting you discouraged and depressed are not working. When you are out of a job, in the midst of all of those applications, be filled with joy and help someone in need during your time out of work. Show the enemy that nothing will stop you from living in peace and having a life full of joy! For these storms are only temporary. What will you show the world during your trial? Selah.
2 Corinthians 1:24 (MSG) We’re not in charge of how you live out the faith, looking over your shoulders, suspiciously critical. We’re partners, working alongside you, joyfully expectant. I know that you stand by your own faith, not by ours.
