CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 945

“Resist the Enemy”

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

In a popular science fiction TV series and feature film an evil army travels throughout the universe conquering and assimilating entire species. They inform each new world they encounter that ‘Resistance is futile’. In like manner there is a war waged every day for our souls and the enemy is always there quick to discourage us and tell us that resistance to sin is futile. Paul writes about this struggle in the book of Romans.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!… (Romans 7:21-24)

The truth of God’s Word is that resistance is not futile. Far too many of us resist halfheartedly rather than with zeal for Christ. We must avoid compromising the integrity of our Christian lifestyle with the sinful lifestyle of this world. If we play with fire we will be burned by that fire.

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? (Proverbs 6:27)

How long does it take for your character to become compromised when you choose to habitually expose yourself to profane and immoral behavior? How long before it ‘gets under your skin’ and it becomes ingrained into your lifestyle character?

A little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9)

The Word of God exhorts us to consider Jesus as our example.

Therefore…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:1-4)

When we stop fighting we have been conquered.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

Continue to fight. Continue to resist. In the power of the Name of Jesus resistance is not futile. Take every thought captive and bring it to Him. Pray for the integrity of Christian character to fight the good fight through the power of God’s Word.