Jump Start # 3353

James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

I have a friend who contacts me all the time about questions, advice and help in life. My friend struggles with an addiction. Addictions come in many colors these days. Gambling. Drugs. Alcohol. Porn. Cussing. Lying. Stealing. Eating disorders. These are all habit forming and controlling. It’s hard to break free from these. Once a person starts on the journey with these addictions, it can consume him for decades. Some never conquer them.

My friend reached out the other day. His addiction was getting the best of him. He knows it is wrong, but the desire to do them was strong. He cried for help. How do I fight this? Our passage came to my mind. God knows the devil. He knows that he is a liar, a thief and a coward. Dig your heels in and stand with God and the devil will run. He won’t run away forever, but for the moment. It will give you time to catch your breath, get focused, and keep walking with the Lord.

How does one resist the temptation to do what is wrong? Knowing something is wrong is a big part of the battle. So many jump in head first without even realizing what they are doing shames and hurts the God who made them. He made us to do better. Life the way it was intended to be, is a life that follows the Lord.

Here’s my quick list on fighting the devil.

First, realize that you can resist temptation. If one believes the temptation is too strong and there is no way around it, then the devil wins. Weaker we become. The next time it will be even easier for the devil to knock us down. The Corinthians were told that God provides a way of escape. The door is there. Look for it. You don’t have to do wrong.

Second, so much of the battle for temptation begins in the mind. Not letting the devil have a foothold there will help you. So, busy yourself in things that fill your mind. When temptation seems strongest, get busy doing something that takes your mind off of things. Focus hard.

Third, put yourself around other people and in public places. Remember how Satan tempted Jesus? It was more than stones to bread and jumping off the temple. Jesus was alone in the wilderness. No one was there. He was hungry. He was tired. Wild beasts were nearby. If the devil used that on Jesus, he’ll certainly try that with you. Alone. Tired. Late at night. Stressed. That’s when temptation knocks the loudest. Recognize that. Understand how the devil operates. The opposite of alone, is being around others. The opposite of tired, is rested. The opposite of late night, is daytime. A good team understands how the opponent operates. We do well when we understand how our enemy operates.

Fourth, always pray. Prayer works. Our verse says much more than simply resist the devil. It tells us to submit to God. The next verse says to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Get to worship. Get that Bible open. Get busy doing things for others. Stop the pity party. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Stop complaining and whining. God is good to you. You have much to be thankful for. Count your blessings.

Will doing these things keep a person from ever sinning again? No. John’s first letter addresses that. But, what it can do is stop the merry-go-round of continual and habitual addictive sins. Put people in your life that will help you get closer to God. Hang around spiritual giants. Get to to strong Christians. Have conversations with them. Become friends with them. Imitate the good that they do.

Ephesians tells us to put on the full armor of God and to stand firm against the devil. Put up a fight. Don’t let the devil take real estate in your heart. You can be righteous. You can be pure. You can obey the Lord. How do I know this? God says so. Don’t settle for second place. Don’t be happy with the consolation prize. God wants you with Him—now and forever. Kick the devil to the curb, stop focusing on your failures and look for ways you can help others.

The battles on. With God, you’ll win. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Roger

Jump Start # 2441

James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

I was thinking about this verse the other day. There are times when I just want to be alone. I don’t want any interruptions. I don’t want to talk on the phone. I don’t want to deal with emails. I just want to unplug from the world for a while. Those are great times to reflect, connect and mediate upon the holy Lord. You can’t really do that well when the TV is on, or, when you are in a room full of talking people. Too many distractions.

As I write this Jump Start I am in one of those places. There is a little community in Southern Ohio where I am preaching this week. The country side is beautiful. The people are grand. The church is small, but I love coming to this place. One of the things that is helpful to me is that where I stay there is no cell reception. Zero. No bars. If I drive into town, it’s back to civilization. But out here in the farming community, it’s peaceful and quiet and it’s good to let all the technology go for a while. It would be wonderful if every teen had to spend a week out here. There is life without technology. The farmers are bringing in the corn, there is a freshness to the air, and there are probably more cows than people in this area. Quietness, thinking, reflecting, observing, is something that many have never experienced. We have noise all around us. From the moment we are up, to the moment our eyes close, the TV’s on, the music is playing and we are texting or talking to someone constantly.

Now, you might wonder what all of this has to do with our verse today? How does spending some time out in the country connect with resisting the devil and seeing him flee from you? This week I’ve not heard any sirens. Traffic isn’t a problem. The world just seems to move slower and simpler out here in the country. It’s peaceful. You see God’s beauty everywhere. The colors. The sounds of nature. The rolling hillsides. It’s as if this is God’s canvas and each morning He presents a new picture. You miss some of this in the city. Traffic, stores, hustle and bustle, houses, buildings, it’s hard to see God’s canvas. But in this picturesque oasis, the Gospel needs to be preached. That’s why I’m here this week. It would be wonderful to find a place like this that we could post a sign, “Satan-free.” But no place like that exists, at least not on this planet.

Why does Satan bother us so? Why doesn’t he leave us alone? Why doesn’t he just go after those who do not care about Christ? Why is he always trying to trip us up? Why does he always have to ruin something that is good? When Satan flees, why does he come back? Just leave me alone is what I want to shout to the devil. You are not welcome or wanted. I don’t care about you. I don’t think about you. I’m not interested in you. I don’t like you. I will never like you. I will not be your friend. I will never be your friend. Just leave me alone.

But, he won’t. He comes with thoughts that are not good. He comes with attitudes that are not nice. He comes giving us a judgmental spirit that is cruel. He pushes our egos until pride rises to the top. He creates a thirst for material things that is twisted and out of perspective. He opens the door to fears which allows worry to spring up. He gives us a thirst for gossip. He makes lying so easy. He makes lust so available. Why doesn’t the devil just leave us alone?

There is but one answer and that is because we are created in the image of God and he does not want to go to Hell alone. He’s attacked Christ and failed. All he has left is to go after the people of God. And, he does. He introduces problems in our congregations. He pulls marriages apart. He gets us turning on each other and he smiles when we walk away from Jesus.

You have something and Satan wants it. He’ll break every rule, bend every truth and violate every command to get you to his side. He wants your soul. He’ll not leave you alone until you leave this planet. He’ll chase you, discourage you and confuse you. Put up your hand and fight back and he’ll flee, but it will be just for a short while. He’ll be back. He’s always coming back. He’s there waiting for you at work. He’s at home looking for you. He’s in the church building. And, yes, even in peaceful and quiet places out in the country, Satan is there.

This sounds like a no-hope situation. It sounds like a losing battle. But, it’s not. The victory is in Christ. Keep walking with the Lord and one day you’ll walk out of this room and into the arms of the Savior and then you’ll be done with Satan. He can’t go where you are headed. Be strong. Be faithful. Satan can’t stand goodness, so be good. He can’t stand righteousness, so be righteous. He can’t stand the word of God, so fill yourself up to the brim with God’s word. He can’t stand hope, so hold on to it. And, more than anything else, he can’t stand the Lord. And, you and I cling to the Lord with all of our might.

I like peaceful, quiet settings. It’s good for the heart. It’s good to slow down and reflect. It’s good to remember what really matters in life.

Begone, Satan. It won’t be much longer and we’ll be troubled by you no more. And, it won’t be much longer until your troubles, O Satan, will just begin!

Roger

Jump Start # 1666

James 4:7 “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

There is much that has been said about temptation. We study the different ways we are tempted. We look at how and why we are tempted. We consider the consequences of temptation. We learn from the temptations of Jesus. From temptation we study sin and what sin does to us. We talk about why Jesus had to come and die for our sins. We come to understand the journey back to God that leads to salvation. This topic has been covered in detail in Bible classes and sermons. We all know it too well from personal experiences.

One aspect that is sometimes overlooked in this discussion is the sweet victory that one feels when they have resisted the devil and refused to open the door to temptation. Jesus was tempted, yet He never sinned. We can be tempted and we can resist the devil. Joseph is a great example of that. His master’s wife seduced him more than once. He resisted. He fled. He understood that the he could not do this evil against God. She accused him. He was thrown into prison, even though he was innocent. Yet, he did not sin. The devil didn’t win.

There is such a wonderful feeling when one has turned their back to the devil. The moment of temptation can get a person all mixed up on the inside. The opportunity to steal, cheat on a test, lust, say something inappropriate, or to lie comes in many forms and sometimes these temptations come every day. At work, or at school, the devil presents situations in which we can do wrong. It seems so easy. It is appealing. He gets us thinking only about the wrong choice. Our feelings get all mixed up. But then we remember the Lord. We remember Scriptures. We think of the consequences. We get jolted back to spiritual awareness. We walk away from that situation. We calm down. We find that door of escape that God provides. We hold our tongue. We look away from the immodest. We find the better choice. We take our hand off the doorknob of temptation. We have resisted the devil. For that moment, we have won. The victory belongs to the Lord.

There is such a powerful and good feeling when that happens. It reminds us of the truth of Scriptures. The devil can be resisted. I don’t have to do wrong. I do have a choice in this. When the devil is resisted, he leaves for the moment. He’ll be back. He always comes back, but not now. Not for this moment. You have won the battle.

Not only has this kept you from sinning, but it has strengthen your inner fiber. You now know that you can fight the devil. He’ll come back. He may come back the same way. Another fastball right down the middle. This time you recognize it even sooner. You know what to do. You have courage and strength.

Not only has this kept you from sinning, but it enables you to help others who struggle. You have found the path to keep from exploding in anger. You know how to keep from gossiping. You found the way to shut porn out of your heart. Others struggle. Others fail. You understand what works. Your story can help.

Not only has this kept you from sinning, but it has drawn you closer to the Lord. What turns the devil is the choice to be godly. A heart filled with Scriptures. A heart that wants to please the Lord. A heart that is praying. It’s harder for Satan to find a way into such a heart. Resisting temptation will draw you closer to the Lord. The next verse says that very thing. James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Those words speak of closeness. There are times when God seems distant. Our prayers are not answered quickly. We wonder if God is hearing us. In the darkness of those times, Satan seems so close. Temptations seem so strong. But when we resist and when we draw closer to God, what a great feeling and powerful relationship is established. Close to God is where we need to be. Like a little child, we like to run ahead. We often don’t want to hold a hand. We tend to get too close to things we shouldn’t. Walking with God can be the same way. We need to stay with God. Don’t get ahead of Him. Don’t get close to trouble. And always take hold of His hand.

Not only has this kept you from sinning, but it makes you feel great as a Christian. Often, that’s not the case. We feel like we are not doing enough. We feel that God doesn’t like us. We feel that we let God down. Over and over, we just feel like secondary citizens in the kingdom. Resisting the devil, seeing him flee from us can create a wonderful joy within us. Instead of being that person who is always in trouble or is always be called down by the teacher, we have done right. Well done, is what master told the five talent servant. Well done! Those words are fitting to those who have fought the devil and on this day, won.

Can we get to the point that we will never sin again? No. There will be days that we make the wrong choices. There will be days that we have disappointed the Lord. But that doesn’t have to be every day. That doesn’t have to be the way it is with every temptation. Resist. Draw near to God.

What a powerful picture. The devil attacked. You stood your ground. You rallied under the banner of Christ. Now, you see the devil retreating. He has turned. He’s running the other way. Those old black and white movies that has the wagons circled as the Indians race toward them in war paint. The settlers fight back. They resist. It’s intense for a moment. The battle could swing either way. But the tide turns in favor of the wagon train. The Indians give up. They turn and race back over the hills. The settlers breath a sigh of relief. They rejoice and celebrate a victory. They have won that battle. That’s us. That’s the devil charging over the hills toward us. That’s the devil fleeing in defeat. The victory is for those who have stood their ground. Resist. Dig your heels in. Don’t back down. Hold your position.

There are victories that we need to recognize and account for. Those victories help us.

The journey is long. It can become wearisome, but with God we can make it.

Roger

Jump Start # 1557

James 4:7 “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

  We conclude our series this week on the great spiritual battle that we are engaged in. This is more important than the political battles for presidency. This is more important than winning the argument about which quarterback was the all-time greatest. This is more important than getting your agenda approved at work. This is more important than pushing to get unsafe products recalled. If you lose this spiritual battle, you will lose your soul. This is one battle that we cannot lose. We must put everything we have into this. There is no cost too great to pay. There is nothing that is of greater importance than this. Satan is after your soul. If it means quitting your job to save your soul, quit. If it means moving to save your soul, move. Nothing tops the salvation of your soul. Nothing!

One final passage that helps in this spiritual battle is found tucked deeply in the book of James. Resist the devil. Resist is a fighting term. One of my kids has a dog. The dog is getting big. When they go places they must put the dog in his cage. He resists. He spreads his legs out, lifts his head and it becomes a wrestling match to get him in. Resisting. Not going along. Digging your heels in. Fighting.

There are three thoughts from our verse.

First, the order is always important. God placed words in an order because He wants them that way. Before Satan flees, before there is a resistance on our part, first comes a submission to God. Submit to God is what James says. The next verse says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Come close. Come real close. Submission is too often limited only to the wife’s role in a marriage. And there, it is often misunderstood and misapplied. Submission is first an attitude. It means to bend the will. Jesus shows us this in the garden prayers. Facing the cross, He asked if this cup might pass. He added, “not my will, but Thy will be done.” That’s submission. I am bending my will for God’s will. Jesus did not go to the cross kicking and screaming. He went silently like a lamb that goes to the slaughter. We must bend our will and wishes for God. We must do what God wants, not what we want. This is true both in and out of the church house. Worship isn’t about entertaining us. It is about honoring and praising God. There is no reverence if we are not submitting to God. Submission is first an attitude, but then it follows with behavior. Submission is more than just a thought, it is an action. It’s doing God’s will because it is God’s will. The person who uses the words, “I have to…” in relationship to obeying God hasn’t really submitted. “I have to go to church…” Really? It doesn’t sound like you want to. Having to do things and wanting to do things are not the same. I have to file my taxes. I don’t like the process. Too much paperwork. I want to play with my grandkids. Have to and want to—it’s a submission thing. Submit to God. Draw near to God. Obey God. This is the first line of defense against Satan. Trying to face Satan without obedience and submission to God will be a disaster. God’s way is the only way.

Second, resist Satan. He can be resisted. Saying, “I couldn’t help it,” just isn’t true. You could have. You should have. Satan cannot force you. He cannot make you do something against your will. He can entice you. He can encourage you. He can fool you. He can deceive you. He can offer you the world. He can make false promises. But in the end, it’s our choice. Satan can be resisted. You don’t have to do what He is tempting you with.

Third, Satan is a coward. Dig your heels in, raise your Bible and you’ll see Satan running for cover. He doesn’t resist back. He doesn’t sucker punch you when you are not looking. Put up a fight and he’ll leave. Understand, as the Scriptures teach with Jesus, Satan flees for a while, but he will return. After the temptation of Jesus, Satan left for a more opportune time. He’d be back. Remember Peter telling Jesus that He would not die? Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan.” He was back. Remember on the cross? If you are the son of God, come off that cross. That was Satan back again. All the trick questions by the Pharisees…Satan. He was back. Satan won’t leave you for good. You have something that he wants and that is your soul. He’ll be back. But for now, hold your ground. Don’t let him get an advantage of you.

Be careful when you are alone. Satan will strike. Be careful when you are tired, stressed or upset. Satan will come knocking. Paul’s warning to the Ephesians about anger, “don’t give the devil an opportunity.” Anger invites the devil. When we are mad, we don’t think straight. We do things we shouldn’t when we are angry. Be careful.

Fight the good fight is how we started this series. Hang in there. Don’t give up. Feed your soul. Be strong. Put on the full armor of God. Resist. Those aren’t cute motivational statements to put on Facebook. These are the words of God. They work. They are the way to win the war against Satan.

Satan will come knocking, maybe even this morning. You do not have to open the door. Resist. He’ll leave for a while. But be watching. He’s coming back.

Roger