Did you know.....

....that we as Christians are free from sin? I bring this subject up because so very many people I know are living defeated lives because of addictive sin. No matter what they do, they can't seem to get the victory over it. To look at most Christians today, you would think that salvation is just a myth. That all of God's promises are lies. That God is powerless.

The Lord has taught me much more about this subject in the past few weeks than I could even begin to share with you right now. But I have found such peace and joy and deliverance that I cannot keep it to myself! Without even knowing it, I have compulsively been sharing it with my family, and they are as excited about it as I am! :)

James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." That's a promise. The promises in God's Word are there for us to claim as our very own. You could easily insert your name at the beginning of the verse to make it even more real to you.

God does not tempt us. James 1:13 says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" That comes from the devil. The devil puts thoughts into our minds (our hearts) which is the seat of our emotions. The devil is the father of lies. Our minds are the battlefield. Guess what? "We are more than conquerors!"

Do you realize that in the whole armor of God, there is only one offensive weapon? We have the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, we're shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and then we have the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

"Resist" is an action word. Most Christians, when they are tempted, say...to worry (a big one for me), pray and ask God to deliver them from the temptation and calm their minds. Now there's nothing wrong with praying, but the Bible doesn't say, "Pray, and the devil will flee from you." It says, "resist." I have been saved for 20 years this coming September, and I just recently discovered what that word means. "Resist" literally means "to fight back"!

Jesus left us an example that we should follow in his steps. His example in dealing with temptation is so powerful!

In Matthew 4 Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights when the devil came and tempted him. With food. The devil never fights fairly. He waits for our moment of weakness and strikes.

To quote Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., "When temptation and opportunity meet, we are in trouble."

What did Jesus do? Did he pray?

No.

Did he run away?

No.

What did he do?

He fought back.

How?

He drew out His Sword and used it.

He said, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Scripture was His response to all three of the temptations the devil set before Him. Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

When the Devil so much as hears Jesus' name, he trembles. He is fully aware that he is already a defeated foe.

If you are looking for the key to living a life free from sin, this is it. It works!

Every time.

When I am tempted to worry now, I say, sometimes aloud, "Devil, I know you are putting those unlovely thoughts into my head. You, for all your subtleness, do not fool me. It is written, 'Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Guess what happens? The temptation goes away, every time, because the tempter has fled.

Luke 4:13 says, "he departed from Him for a season." The devil will come back, but if you continue to quote scripture, he will have to flee. It's a promise.

Josh always says that if you take something bad out of your life, you have to replace it with something good, or else that bad thing will come back ten times worse. You have to know your Bible in order to be able to use it in fighting the devil. It won't just come by osmosis. :) The very next thing that comes after "resist the devil" is "draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you." Get to know your Bible, and God, and embrace your freedom.

The devil is real. He is alive. This very moment he is walking around seeking whom he may devour. So many Christians have already been devoured by him. Somewhere along the line they allowed him to render them useless to God, because they didn't fight back.

When I get to heaven, I imagine that I will look back on my life and be grieved at how much of my time and life was wasted in anxious care. God is on the throne. He gave me His promises, to be my very own. The question is, do I believe Him? Or do I fall for more of the devil's lies and live a defeated, wasted "Christian" life?