Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Do you believe in the devil? As a kid, I remember being told “ghost stories.” Some of them were pretty scary! Some were scary and funny at the same time. All of them challenged my thinking about ghosts.
It was very common for little kids to challenge each other by saying, “You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?” It was always said in a taunting way that mocked the idea of ghosts. Many a time I agreed that I didn’t really believe in ghosts. The problem was when I was in church they were always talking about this being called the “Holy Ghost.” Everyone at church seemed to believe that the Holy Ghost was real, but … well … what was a ghost, anyway?
Ghosts and devils seemed to fall into the same category back then. If a person didn’t believe in ghosts, why would you believe in devils? It all seemed so confusing, which is, of course, exactly the way the real devil wants it to be.
I remember reading the Bible when I was a bit older and realizing that a lot of the stories had to do with casting out demons. Were these just stories, or were there a lot of demons back in those days?
Many years later I came to understand that the spiritual realm is very real. “Thought” is one aspect of that realm. Each of us has a spirit. Each of our spirits lives inside a body, but the body is not us. It is, as Peter puts it, a shell or a tent. (2 Peter 1: 13-14)
So now, I believe in ghosts. Not the kind that haunts houses, although I don’t rule that out. Personally, I believe that the spiritual realm is more “real” than the physical world we live in. The Bible tells us God is real, that demons are real and that Satan is real.
The devil, in the Greek, is one who tells lies and slanders. He is the false accuser that sows doubt and shame in people. James says to “resist” him. How? If we focus our mind on God’s Word and His promises, what happens to doubt and shame? Don’t they get swept away in the brilliant light of God’s truth?
Application: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Food for Thought: If darkness is the absence of light, what is the devil the absence of? How does the light of God help us resist the devil?
One way to resist the devil is to think upon God and be obedient to His word. If we think about Satan a lot we will focus on him. Let’s be found thinking upon Jesus and looking to Him. Satan does not want us to do that, but Jesus certainly does. Hebrews 12 1-2)
Rich,
What a great point! There are a lot of wonderful benefits to keeping our focus on Jesus.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻