Resist the Devil and he will flee from you

Posted on Aug. 21, 2024, 10:23 a.m. by Rev. Shobayo Kayode The Gospel Study Centre

Resist the devil and he will flee from you says the scripture. Who is the devil? The devil is the Satan with other names as Serpent, Dragon, Demon, god of this age, e.t,c. depending on the level at which he is operating. He sinned against God and has continued to induce people to sin against God. He appeared to Eve in the garden of Eden as Serpent to incite her against God. The Bible tells us that the original name given to Satan was Lucifer. He was the angel of God that covers the Holy mountain of God (Ezekiel.28:14) till he became arrogant and rebelled against God. (Ezekier.28:15) and was forced out of the heaven. (Ezekiel.28:16) Since then till now, the devil has not stopped to fight against God and God’s people. Remember Satan deceived Adam male and female to disobey God. (Gen.3:1-6) Satan uses the same method till date to deceive people. Because he is also a spirit, he pretends to be God. He entices people with what does not belong to him and pretend to do what he cannot do. But by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, a believer can overcome the lies of the Satan. You can imagine, he was promising the Creator, of what the creator created during his encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. (Matt.4:1-10) Now we know who the devil is, how can one resist him? The Scripture prior to telling us to resist the devil advised that we submit to God. “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James.4:7) Submit to God means total obedience to Jesus Christ and His commandments. The scripture says further, draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded” (James.4:8) It means, we can resist the devil by regular fellowship with God. We fellowship with God through praises, worship, and thanksgiving. We purify our hearts by reading the word of God and believing the word without doubt. It is good to note that, we do not need to be in a particular designated place before we can fellowship with God. The scripture says, “But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John.4:23). We can fellowship with Him as many times and as long as we can. God is omnipresent. The scripture warns us to be sober and be vigilant. (1 Peter.5:8) We can be sober and be vigilant by consciously checking the kind of company we keep, the kind of advice we listen to, the kind of places we visit, the kind of words we say and the way we live our lives on daily basis. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to resist the devil through the power of prayer. “But deliver us from the evil one.” (Matt.6:13b) In conclusion, the way to resist the devil is to fully submit oneself to God by studying and applying the wisdom and guidelines of the word of God to one’s everyday life. The closer we are to Jesus Christ the farther away we are from the devil. Evangelism It is only Jesus Christ that can help man to overcome the works of the devil. Help someone to know the truth of the word of God today. Rev. Shobayo Kayode The Gospel Study Centre