Resist the Devil and He will Flee!

(James 4:7-8) “Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you.” 

We all have that part of our flesh in us that wants what it wants and if we do not have Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we will sin, and fall short.

 (Romans 3:23) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  

 It is called self-will, selfish ambition, pride, arrogance, greed, unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, and vengeance. (Galatians 5:19-21) “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

  When you leave your life of sin behind, your heart feels brand new.  It is a wonderful feeling!  The Holy Spirit within you will help you to stand strong and follow God's will which is why we need to stay in the Word and talk to the Lord daily. He gives us the strength to resist the devil.

  We all at times want our own way and our flesh fights to stay alive instead of allowing you to submit completely to the will of God.  But as long as you continue to let the flesh win, you will not be able to totally yield to the Holy Spirit.

 (I Corinthians 6:12) “Everything is permissible for me’—but not everything is beneficial.  ‘Everything is permissible for me’—but I will not be mastered by anything.”

 As long as you let your flesh rule you; it is your master and not God and you will not be totally free.  (II Peter 2:19) “For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.”

  When you receive Jesus into your heart, He sets you free!  When you let your flesh start to control you, you are allowing yourself to be enslaved again.  (Galatians 5:1) “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” 

Our flesh does not want the things that God wants for us; the qualities that help us have a victorious life and will not give Satan any reason to have access into our life or hearts.  (Galatians 5:16-17) “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.”

 The more you resist the cries and cravings of your flesh the more it will die and the more the fruit of the Spirit will grow in its place.  (Galatians 5:22-23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

 Staying close to God in prayer and reading His Word will feed your spirit and keep you strong in the Lord.  (Joshua 1:8) “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

  Doing this will transform your mind into agreement with the will of God.   (Romans 12:2) “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

 As you meditate on the Word and trials come your way, no matter what your emotions may dictate to you, you will know the promises and will of God.  If you walk in the Spirit, you will stand on those promises.  Only by standing on those promises will you be victorious.

 (Isaiah 7:9) “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”  In receiving Jesus Christ you were set free!!  So resist your flesh and let it die a natural death and live by the Spirit! 

(John 8:36) “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” 

(Philippians 3:8-9) “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”    

We can say “no” to sin with ease.

(Titus 2:11-14) “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”