In my previous two posts, I focused on the power of praise. For me, a big part of the power of praise is resisting the adversary. If you think about it, there’s probably nothing the devil hates more than good, honest, glorious praise of the LORD.
That’s one reason I’m a fan of Kinship Christian Radio. There’s a lot of praise on Kinship Christian Radio, and it helps me take delight in the Lord—both with the music and the teaching.
I’m sure many of you are familiar with James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
“Resist” means to stand firm and oppose—to not back down. When it comes to temptation, I cannot do that alone. I need Jesus. Years ago, when I was struggling with trying to be free of a persistent sin, I would say out loud, “Satan, get behind me.”
I said it out loud because the devil is not omniscient. He doesn’t know my thoughts like God does. And, I chose that verse because that’s what Jesus told Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. (Luke 4:8)
Then one day, it occurred to me that I really didn’t want the devil following around behind me all day. So, I began saying, “Satan, go stand behind JESUS.”
That worked a lot better.
Not only does it resist the devil, it brings Jesus into the picture, which is the only way it works for me. When I say it, in my mind’s eye, I picture Jesus standing between me and the adversary and the devil taking a spot far, far behind the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Now, I have to admit I’m not perfect. Praise God, I have been freed from the bondage of that sin, but for some reason the most difficult test of my Christianity is often when I’m behind the wheel of my car. When the guy behind me tailgates me for seven miles trying to decide whether to pass me or not just because it says B-U-I-C-K on my rear bumper, I have great difficulty remembering, “Bless and do not curse.”
I confess that even though I love the Lord and I am not ashamed of the Gospel, I cannot bring myself to put a Jesus fish on the Geezermobile because it seems that’s the place I am often the worst Christian I can be—even though the radio is tuned to Kinship Christian Radio.
How about you? How do you resist the devil? Do you have a way of putting on the full armor of God that works for you? Do you have a certain place or situation where you find it the most difficult to be a good Christian? How do you cope with that?