Resist

 Resist

October 14, 2025

James 4:7

7Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:8-9

8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaringlion, seeking someone to devour. 9 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.

Ephesians 6:13

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Back in the day when I associated with the 60’s, anti-war radicals, our call to action was “Resist!”.  It was a resistance movement. Now the stated object of said resistance was the war-mongering Johnson administration and the senseless war in Vietnam. Somehow, many years later, those same friends and associates became associated with the war happy Clinton and Obama administrations. Perhaps they were not really resisting evil, but just resisting authority. Anyway, I was saved out of that lifestyle in 1970 and went from the peace movement to having real peace with Jesus.

So what does it mean to resist the devil? Is it marching in the streets with signs proclaiming our opposition to our perception of evil, or is it something else? It is interesting that two of the verses quoted above about resisting the devil are preceded by admonitions to humble yourself.

James 4:6

6But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Thereforehumble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Certainly, my friends in the resistance movement of the 60’s were not humble. “Don’t trust anyone over thirty” was a rallying cry of pride in youth, ignoring the wisdom of the elders. So how does the Bible define resting the devil? Ephesians 6 includes this in the verses about the armor of God, so the armor is for resisting, and it requires humility to don the armor of God. Putting on the armor of God says that you trust in God for your protection instead of your own power. It requires humility to trust in another, but it also requires strength of character to stand firm once you are properly clothed. And resistance involves words. Take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God is also included in the passage in Ephesians 6. So our resistance is steadfast, standing on the power and protection of God, but declaring with our mouth the Word of God. When we do that James says that the devil will flee. 

Resist!