“How do you prevent him from returning?” A friend asked this last week concerning the scripture, resist the devil and he will flee from you (Jas 4:7). The simple answer is we can’t. He will return again and again. Even after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, the devil left Him until a more opportune time or more convenient season (Luke 4:13). In other words, he would come back again. The forty days of temptation by the devil, was not Jesus’ last confrontation with Satan.
The word resist literally means ‘stand against.’ As the 90 pound weakling of high school surrounded with muscular farm boys, most two years older than me even though in the same grade, I became a target of their bullying. That was until I stood up against one, grabbed him by the collar, raised my fist, and he begged me not to smash his face. No, the bullying did not end, however the more I stood against them, the more confidence I gained and the less they followed through with their intimidation. Merely standing against the devil with faith in God’s word and in the power of the Holy Spirit serves as a powerful defense against his attacks. Each victory makes us stronger and better equipped to resist.
The Lord provided all believers with Spiritual armor as defensive and offensive implements against Satan. God knew the devil’s aggression would continue all through our life time. In Ephesians 6:10ff, Paul employs the analogy of a combat ready Roman soldier dressed in his armor to illustrate the spiritual armor we possess. Three times in this section, he says resist or stand against. Soldiers in battles weren’t always wheeling their swords in hand to hand combat. Often they stomped their spiked shoes in the ground, hid behind their large shields designed for stopping and quenching flaming arrows, and simply stood their ground.
Continuous filling with the Holy Spirit is essential. Be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). The grammar here indicates this is a daily habitual process. It literally reads be filled and continue being fill with the Spirit. Wuest translates this but be constantly filled (controlled) by the Spirit. Moment by moment each day, we give Him control of our lives. The presence of the Spirit includes God’s Spiritual armor. Paul admonishes us put on the full armor of God (Eph 6:11). This is a onetime event and not as some teach an everyday activity although we may need to remind ourselves each day we are clothed in His protection. James gave this same principle of surrendering control to God. Submit (subject self yourself) therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (Jas 4:7).
Jesus defeated the devil by His death and resurrection. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil (1Jn 3:8). However, Satan remains more powerful than we are as humans. Only through the Holy Spirit can we achieve victory. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Eph 6:10). Note he says in the Lord, not in ourselves; strength of His might, not our strength.
Take care not to focus on the analogy of the physical armor and overlook the actual spiritual armor, which is composed of truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, word of God, and prayer. Jesus is the truth; He is our righteousness; He gives us His peace; He provides salvation; and He is the Word. Our part becomes faith and prayer, but even with these, the Holy Spirt helps us. When we put on the armor, we are essentially putting on Jesus. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 13:14).
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1Pe 5:8). The grammar of prowls and seeking indicates that the devil continuously looks for anybody he can devour or literally gulp down, shallow, or drown. Who are his most likely targets—those who are not watching or not vigilant. Peter continues, But resist (stand against) him, firm in your faith (v9). Faith is the key. With the shield of faith, we extinguish the flaming arrows Satan hurls at us. The intensity of his attacks varies from daily oppression to the evil day when he seems to throw everything in his arsenal against us. When this occurs, we stomp our shoes of the gospel of peace in place and get behind our shield of faith. Arrows hitting our shield may shake it or fall all around us but none will harm us if we stay firm in our faith. The devil wants us to panic, turn, and run exposing ourselves to his attacks. Only the back had no armor. The high school bullies enjoyed watching me try and run away. They ran far faster than I could. However, life changed when I stood against them. Standing my ground became a means to victory.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Yes, he will be back. But be watchful and ready when he returns. Remember the Spiritual armor God gave you. Stand against the devil and again he will flee.