be strong in the Lord

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV) We’ve been talking about the power of positive resistance over the past few days—how we as believers are empowered to resist whatever doesn’t come from God. But what happens when we’ve been resisting something for a long time—sickness, resentment, or anything else that flies in the face of what we’ve been promised in Christ? The answer is found in today’s verse. You are strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, so you can keep resisting for as long as it takes. When you begin to rely on just your own power, your own energy, and your own mind, that’s when you start wanting to give up. Get into God’s Word and begin to recognize that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you; the Spirit of God is in and upon you. The Bible teaches us that the presence and power of Jesus Christ are in us, as believers. When you resist something that is not from God, His power is flowing through you to help you resist it; when you submit to Him and His Word, you’re submitting to His power. You’re realizing who you are in Christ, which will cause you to resist the enemy and submit to God. When you submit to God—submit to His Word, His promises, His way of thinking—it empowers you. You submit to His Word first, and then gain His power to resist. It may start with willpower, but remember that God’s presence and power are in you. Once you begin to resist, you can count on the fact that Jesus Christ in you destroys the works of the devil. You have more power than you’ll ever need.

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do not give up

The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”

Proverbs 22:13 (NKJV)

Over the past few days we’ve been talking about what we as believers have the power to resist and what we need to submit to in order to walk in the promises of God. Sometimes, without realizing it, we can submit to things we should never tolerate. Like the man in today’s verse, we get complacent. Instead of seeing a lion in the street and deciding to run or defend himself, he gave up without a fight, and many times we do the same thing. We say things like, “The economy is bad. I’m going to lose my job.” Or, “The doctors say I have cancer. I guess I’m on my way out.” We need to develop a positive resistance in us that is committed to running, fighting, or doing whatever is necessary to have what God says we can have! A friend was telling me about a story he read in a book where a Navy Seals Officer was addressing a crowd. “Everyone put your hands up over your head as high as you can go,” he said. When they did, he said, “Alright, now raise them a little further,” and surprisingly they were all able to raise their hands a bit more. You can always go further. You can do so much more than you think you can. God’s Word in your heart and Holy Spirit in you is empowering you to fight. These beliefs in you that are based on the truth of God’s Word will help you to resist those things that are not from God, so keep fighting! You’re not alone! You can exercise the authority you have in Christ! Some would have you believe that you are just a poor, lowly sinner, barely saved by grace. But that is not how God sees you. That is not the inheritance Jesus has left you! Jesus wants you to walk in the fullness of all He has made possible for you. He came that you could have LIFE, abundant life, and He wants you to walk in God’s promises, able to resist the attacks that come against you and your loved ones. He wants you to understand the power you have in Him so you can release that miraculous power into the lives of the people around you!

litle foxes of compromises

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. Song of Solomon 2:15 (NKJV) A common practice in modern Christianity is to bind Satan, in the name of Jesus. But what does this mean, exactly? If you bind Satan, how long does he stay bound? And where do we find the biblical back-up for this process? In fact, James 4:7 says to resist the devil and he will flee. Resistance is the key, but it’s not talking about a one-time-fixes all decision. We need to resist the enemy’s schemes, lies and temptations on a regular basis by keeping the truth of God’s Word at the forefront of our minds. One of the things the enemy loves to do is sweet talk us into thinking that our failure to resist isn’t a big deal. Thoughts like these pop into our minds: “It’s just a tiny compromise. No one is going to know. Everyone is doing it. God has bigger fish to fry; He’s not worried about this.” The trouble is, little compromises lead to bigger compromises. Today’s verse doesn’t warn against the big, obvious threats. It says that it’s the little foxes that spoil the vines. The little decisions count. They matter when it comes to standing strong in what you resist and what you submit to. The more you resist the little things that go against your principles, the easier it becomes to stand strong with everything. Before long, you hardly have to think about it. It just pours out of you: “This is who I am. This is what I stand for!”

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