3 Ways to Resist the Devil

Rebelutionary, you are a target.

As scary as that sounds, it’s a good thing to be aware of. As children of God, Satan is after us. He constantly works to distract us, lead us away from God, keep us from spreading the Gospel of Christ, and attempts to sabotage every good thing we do for the Lord.

But even though he has supernatural powers beyond what we alone are capable of, we have something far greater living inside of us—we have the power of Christ which renders Satan powerless.

Christ’s power breaks every chain holding us captive, granting us freedom.

Christ’s power triumphs over all, giving us inner peace and unspeakable joy even amid mental illness, anxiety, and strife.

The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives inside of us as believers. And that makes us Satan’s enemy. Now, Jesus already overcame Satan at the cross. Christ’s victory—and Satan’s defeat—has already been sealed. But Satan wants us to believe otherwise.

So how can we live in the victory Jesus already purchased and fend off the attacks of the enemy?

1. Prayer

Prayer is incredibly powerful. It allows us to freely enter the presence of God and find freedom (see 2 Corinthians 3:17). Through prayer, we bring our requests, fears, struggles, and praise to the King of the universe.

And Satan knows that. He knows the power of a prayer prayed in the mighty name of Jesus. And it’s Christ’s power that makes him tremble and shake like a leaf.

When we invite God into our circumstances, we can know that all things will work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28 paraphrase). When we ask God for His will to be accomplished above our own, it thwarts Satan’s attempt to keep us out of God’s will. When we ask Him to help us walk in love, it defends against the jealousy and strife Satan tries to provoke. When we ask God to reveal the Truth to us in a confused world where truth is “relative,” it breaks down every lie and deception Satan tries to feed us daily.

When we pray, we enter God’s presence. Since God is Light and light and darkness aren’t compatible, it forces Satan to flee (see 1 John 1:5).

Through prayer, we can ask God to strengthen and fill us with His power to defeat Satan’s attacks. Through prayer, we call upon the mighty name of the Lord to heal the sick, set the captives free, and give us an ever-burning passion for Him.

Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (NKJV).

Prayer prayed in Jesus’ name can change any circumstance, person, or nation. Prayer can even change you.

2. Praise and Worship

I love the story of Paul and Silas praising God in prison. It was when they positioned themselves in worship that their predicament started to turn around.

Often in difficult times, the last thing we want to do is worship. We tell ourselves we’ll do it later or when we can offer more of ourselves to God. But, just like prayer, worship is powerful.

Worship takes our focus off ourselves and our problems and fixates our gaze on our all-powerful God. In addition to giving thanks to God, intentional worship also puts into perspective how great God is compared to our problems, reassuring us of what He is capable of. While Satan tries to make us forget, fill us with doubt, and place our problems on a pedestal, worship acknowledges Who God is and what He’s done. Worship reminds us it is God alone we should exalt.

I have personally experienced the weight of my burdens being alleviated when I focused on God’s character and gave Him the worship of which He is so worthy. I remember one Sunday morning, when all I did was show up and open my heart to our loving Father. Through worshiping Him, He filled me with His peace, love, and more of Himself.

Sharing our testimonies and stories with others (like what I just did above), is another aspect of praise. Praise isn’t only participating in a worship service at church or singing a worship song. Praise is also reflecting on the goodness of God and discussing His goodness with others. It is looking back on how far God has brought us. It’s thinking about how He has blessed and provided for us and our families. It is pausing to meditate on His kindness, faithfulness, and love.

God dwells in the praises of His people (see Psalm 22:3). And this makes the devil run and hide. That is why your praise and worship to God, dear friend, is a vital weapon with which to defeat Satan.

3. Truth

In a world that tells us we need to “find our own truth,” the desperate need to run to God—the only Truth—is greater than ever. Confusion is rampant in our society. But as children of God, we have the truth so coveted by everyone, and it’s in the Bible.

The Bible is the Word of God; and since God is Truth, so must His Word be (see John 17:17).

Knowing the Bible is crucial in the Christian’s life, because it exposes the lies, half-truths, and deceptions the enemy hurls at us every day. When we put on the belt of truth, we can go out into the world and discern truth from lies and avoid being deceived.

Matthew 4 explains how Jesus withstood temptations from Satan. With every temptation Satan tried to entangle Jesus in, Jesus stood firm with “It is written.” He used the Word of God to defend against the lies of Satan, and we can do the same.

We need to know Scripture because it is the standard for everything we do as believers—everything.

Anything that does not align with God’s Word is not from or of Him. But how will we know what does or doesn’t align with Scripture if we don’t know it?

The psalmist says in Psalm 119:11, “Your Word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” The more we know the love letter God has given to us, the more we know His heart and His character. It shows us how to be more like Him.

No matter what this world says, truth is not relative. There is no more than one version of the truth. Anything other than the ultimate truth is a lie.

The Truth has a name: Jesus Christ. And we know Jesus by knowing His Word.

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

Satan will always attack God’s people, but we don’t have to live in fear of him. Like Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We know that in Christ, we are ultimately victorious over Satan. He cannot win because he has already lost. The tools God has equipped us with in prayer, praise, and the Truth of His Word are there to remind us, and our enemy, of Christ’s victory. Let’s use them. Like James said, “submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).