How to Resist the Devil

Welcome to the intensified Catholic child standing for Wednesday, August 3, believers warned against underestimating the cunning trap that the devil might learn how to identify and resist Satan's tactics in today's study of first Peter, you have three enemas and you can escape a single wall. The world, the flesh of the devil will be no escape from those three members on the Lord Jesus Christ comes on till he take you home. Therefore, if you will not have three enemas will always be there always creating conflict always harassing us always causes trouble and we can't run problem, then we have to learn to deal with and so one of those is the person I want to speak about the light that is how to resist the devil, where in first Peter were coming to the end of that book chapter 5 and if you turn there. The two verses eight and nine, where Peter gives his word of instruction about how to respond the same, so this is what Peter says, remember now that he's talking to in writing to those who are undergoing all kinds of tribulation heartache and trials and so he says in verse eight be of sober spirit.

Don't be fuzzy minded about the only alert.

Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour but resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world that is no.

He's after everybody so Satan's attacks are nothing new now also tannic attack is a moment or a period of time when Satan it appears or it feels as if he mounts an offensive against you. You could be sitting in the worship house you could be at home eating a meal.

Are you could even be done praying. It doesn't make a difference because you see Satan has no lines. That is as much as God allow him to do. He's going to do it and so sometimes he attacks is in a given area of our life. Ultimately, his goal is to corrupt, and to destroy. And so on. The life of the believer because he cannot deal with our spirit, he can tamper with everything else, what is he do. He tries to destroy our testimony render awes absolutely useless before God. I'm simply saying that there is someone his name is Satan who is committed to destroying you at any cost. And he doesn't mind how long it takes just as long as he gets you now give you that is a warning because if Satan can get you going down a track of disobedience, a tract of temptation. He's not going to hurt you up too much because if he does he'll give you a warning but he just gave you the idea.

Take your time don't hurry. Don't get too involved.

Don't go too far. Don't do this don't do that. He knows that ultimately if you listen to me is going to get you one where they'll so he's in no big hurry, but if you just remember you have an enemy who is committed to destroying you. That's why God talked about putting on the whole armor of God, we talk about the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness.

We talk about the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit. We talk about the warfare and the truth is we face in everyday some days it is more pronounced in our life.

And another time and you see one of the things one of his ways of working, of course, his primary tool is deception. He sends through his demonic powers thoughts into your mind and mine about other people and get us to think what you know I don't like him I don't like her and so does he do. He divides people among themselves. You know, most old-time pictures of Satan was somehow the long tail of our big horns and dressed in red know that the Bible says he is like an angel of light. He's not going to dress up like he is and his demons are going to possess intelligent people with erroneous philosophies in multitudes of religions in order to deceive the multitudes which is exactly what is going if you look around. It looks like the devil is running but is not the truth is we've Artie want. We need to remember that when we are facing him so he says.

Notice the of sober spirit, be only alert.

Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he made about not one of the deceptive ways he operates. Is this he will send thoughts in your mind. You say why should I think a thing like that. Many of the things that come through your mind and originate with you. They originate with the devil Satan sends of sinful thought and all of a sudden the next thing we know we're sort of imagining ourselves getting involved in that are going that are participating in the.

The next thing we know we're sort of identifying ourselves with that experience, whatever it might be the next thing we know there is a desire and the next step we choose. We will to follow that impulse all that thought about desire. The next thing you know, weeks, and that's a way operates thought, imagination, identification, desire, will and sent it didn't even start with you. It started with Satan's attempt to destroy you. Did you know that very Avenue and that very approach is all Satan, the when you are not allowed.

The first sinful thought to remain what we're doing is we are giving Satan a toehold at that very moment I want to tell you. Satan is interested in toehold he's interested in your total captivity, but is willing to began with one thought in all of us to thinking constantly. We have to choose whether to allow some thoughts to remain and become a part of that motion.

I will let them go out on by. This is his deceptive way of doing things that when he says this passage, he says here's the attitude you not should have.

He says the of sober spirit that is don't don't play around ideas about the devil don't joke about Satan, he says be the of sober spirit. Don't be fuzzy minded about it be of sober spirit, be on the alert beat watchful. Be careful analysis, haven't you had times in your life. Well listen you could. You knew the devil was after. You could see it, he says, be watchful, be on the alert. Remember this while Satan is cunning and salute and deceptive and very successful. You remember my friend there is somebody on the inside of you who knows all about that character and his name is the Holy Spirit. I will tell you. Satan is never pulling the wool over his eyes and never tricked him the first time. If you and I are willing to exercise our discerning spirit and if we willing to allow the Holy Spirit who lives within us to do his work, we will become victorious. But if we have no discerning spirit and this is remedy of God's people in trouble they're having discerning spirit walk right in the midst of one of Satan's traps and never even know he said it form one time. All I can imagine what happened and someone else looking so I'll tell you whatever you mean you walk right in the trap even understand what happened. That's why you and I need to develop a discerning threat and we need to teach our children to have a discerning spirit and you don't teach them that when they get to be 18 years of age to teach them that just as early as they can begin to understand what it means to identify wrong that is wrong why did you feel what you felt, what tell me what you felt before you did that. You see, once you begin to teach a child.

Discerning spirit they can pick up on that early in life and our best defense against the devil is a discerning spirit to be able to identify what is absolutely and unquestionably of the devil, and you see what you have the settings that you can walk in a room until something's not right.

I walk in some places that Alton wasn't wrong in his place. I'm not been a group of Christians know somebody is added to the it's all messed up in that room. God will give you discerning spirit because you have the Holy Spirit, but you must learn to develop a discerning spirit. You can know when something's not right. You see, God has equipped us not to fall in the trap if you will develop a discerning spirit in you only to development by getting the word of God getting his principles and getting sensitive to your surroundings bring more people to bend down fall and crashed in the spiritual life because they had no sensitivity whatsoever that was going. He says the watch will be sober. Your adversary like a roaring lion is laying the trap, laying the snare, deceitful, cunning waiting. He let down your guard, not developing a discerning spirit being able to detect what is of God and not of God. He says where to be sober with me since it now. I want to look at one single prince try to give you a whole list of things how to how to resist the devil read the Bible. Craig you know that doesn't work if it did it just read about great help to resist the devil. Some of you will and in the last year and already there's a simple principle I learn. I got defeated, a lot of times of love learn this principle. I'm not saying tonight.

I never get the phenomena tell you I'm just as vulnerable as the next guy, but I want you to watch this principle, he says, be of sober spirit. The only alert. Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour but resist him, firm in your faith is what I want you to see.

First of all, your child of God here in 12 of the Holy Spirit. Your your protected by God. But if you choose. Anytime you not choose to sin against God.

God may put pressure because he may chastise as many things will happen, but if you not choose to sin against that we suffer the consequences. But there's a connection here that I want you to see that. I think a lot of folks may have missed. I want you to notice what goes before verse eight and nine. We've already dealt with this, but let's go back to verse five, you younger men likewise be subject to your elders and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another for God as opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in the proper time. Now when you go back to James chapter 4 for a moment and let's look in the verse six James chapter 4 verse six. I personally believe if you can grasp of simple principle, you can start getting victory in your life of the devil that you've not had before. Number verse six but he gives a greater grace. Therefore it says God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit therefore to God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. You cannot guess what I want you to see. You cannot separate submission to the will of God. You cannot separate submission to the will of God and resisting the devil by faith. You can do it. Go back and hold that let's go back over to verse nine, first Peter five but resist him, firm in your faith now. James forces submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from, how does submission and faith and resisting the devil. How does all that connect. This is the way in essence. In essence, if I'm going to have victory over Satan. It is a matter of my exercising my faith. That's the bottom line exercising my faith.

My faith in what first of all, faith in who I am in Christ.

I am a begotten born-again redeemed and sanctified, reconciled child of the living God.

I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit Christ Jesus to the Holy Spirit is living within me.

He that is within me is greater than he that is in the world. It is first of all, faith in who I am in Christ faith in what God says he will do for his children, so the bottom line is faith. Why is it that our faith sometimes does not work and sometimes it won't work. Why does that work tell you what James said submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from.

He says, resist them in faith. But the truth is if there is an area of my life that is not and has not been submitted to God. I'm going down in defeat I don't get how much faith you got because what happens is it just cancels it out.

Not doing the work. Humble yourselves therefore the mighty hand of God, submit yourself to the little got resist the devil resist them firmly in the faith.

Submit therefore to God. Submission to God as an act of faith and what I'm saying is God I submit this to you. It may be painful and I won't I submit in this area of my life because what I'm expressing by my submission is I'm expressing my trust in God that he knows what is better for me than I do any area that I hold out for myself I'm saying God. I believe this is best what I'm doing is I'm expressing doubt on expressing unbelief.

So when he says in this passage, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, he will be running that is activated I submit, I submit because I believe what God says is true that it is best for him to deal with this and then for me to try to deal with and back to first Peter when he says in this particular verse. Resist him, firm in your faith, listen to, there resist him, firm in your faith. So in answer to question.

Has he been defeating you one time after the other. Is there an area you not given to God for now been defeated so many times, but all of a sudden it dawned on me. You can't separate you can't separate those two submission and faith submission and resistance. You can't separate the two is submission to the will of God that enables my faith to rise up remembering who I am and who is living within me and that I do not have to yield to Satan no matter what is. But you cannot separate submission from faith and submission from resistance.

Now you know it all boils down to is there something I like will until I'm willing to pour it out and died to it. Satan has a toehold for the whole stronghold total whole until I'm willing to deal with the area that I've yet to submit Almighty God. He said resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brotherhood in the world. Their brother were going through difficulties and Satan was laying havoc with them. Now the truth is you defeated Satan at times like you've been victorious at time this want you to keep a diary because you see as you go through experience in your life and you record them and you go through them again. You think, what did I do last time you read that what you said all I failed the time, but then you go to the same experience and there's Victor you find out now what did I do that time. How did I respond or if it is a continuous active failure. I want to go back to ask your question. Is there an area of your life that you not lay down before God and told him Lord, I yield to be injected that and death is never easy. God knows it's not sometimes resolve the main but you cannot separate resisting and believing from submitting. Thank you for listening to how to resist the devil if you like to know more about Charles Stanley for intense ministries and had started writing this back after the presentation, intense ministries