When I was a teenager, I was taught that if I wanted to resist the devil, I had to rebuke him. So whenever an evil thought came to my mind or I was tempted, I found myself saying, “I resist you, devil, in Jesus’ name! I bind you, devil! Go away from me, devil! I rebuke you in Jesus’ name!”
This went on until God showed me one day that though I had “resisted” the devil, I had spent more time talking to him than to God! I was more conscious of the devil than of God throughout the day.
I checked the Word of God and realized that we resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are made right with God through Jesus’ blood, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Yes, the devil will continue to remind you of your mistakes, failures and sins. And he will tell you that because of these things, you cannot receive your healing, that you will have to pay for your mistakes or that something bad will happen to your family. He will accuse you, condemn you and try to persuade your heart to believe that he can do bad things to you.
But the truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in your life if he cannot persuade your heart. And your heart cannot be persuaded if it is “steadfast in the faith,” if it is established in righteousness. God says that once you are established in righteousness, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you” (Isaiah 54:14).
So now that my heart is established in righteousness, I can boldly declare, “Yes, I may have these problems in my life, but I am not guilty in God’s eyes. I am justified in God’s eyes by faith because of what Christ has done. I am righteous by Jesus’ blood!” My friend, that is how you resist the devil and become undevourable!
"I'M HERE TO TELL YOU" EDITOR'S NOTE
How established is your faith? Does it come and go depending on your circumstances? You should remember that your circumstances change, but God's promises don't. He has promised to ease our minds, to protect us from fear, to have us know that He is a God of provision. God's provision is for our future, all of our tomorrow's are in His hands. When we focus on Him and not what anybody else says, we know peace, there is no fear. The world continuously bombards us with fear. And there is a lot to fear in the world, but God promises peace in our hearts. Perfect love conquers fear, and God is love. His perfect love is His Son Jesus whom He gave up for us. When we focus on Jesus, we see the world and the future through His loving eyes and we see the hope His sacrifice offers, then there is no room for fear in our lives. We can live happy and confident lives because 'it's all under His control', all day, everyday, no matter what's going on. Today pray to God that He helps you feel His love, understand His promises and know that the world is a beautiful place because of His Son. Ask Him to fill your heart with His Son's perfect love so there is no room for fear.
