What do we want to do when things get really hard? We want to run. We want to escape. We want to hide. But God tells us to do quite the opposite. God tells us to RESIST.

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

The word resist comes from 2 Greek words: Stand and against. So, God’s word is telling us to STAND AGAINST the devil.

I don’t know about you, but I often feel very under-qualified for standing against the devil. But here’s what God has shown me … You can be the girl in the room with the least experience, the one who hasn’t memorized a single scripture, doesn’t know how to study her Bible, totally confused by the plan of God, but with a single mustard seed sized bit of faith, you can send Satan and his demons running when you mention the name of Jesus. Our enemy simply cannot stand against the authority of what Jesus did for us individually on the cross.

Matthew 17: 20-21, Jesus says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'”

The problem is, God’s girls have been coming up against mountains and running away from them, giving up their ground. We haven’t been telling those mountains to move, we’ve been assuming that mountain is what it is. Gosh, I really hate that phrase. “It is what it is”. It’s a surrender. It’s a backing down. That mountain is what the devil has used to discourage you and stall your forward progress. Your mountain has you running the other way declaring you can’t. BUT ACTUALLY, YOU CAN. WITH GOD, YOU CAN. Nothing will be impossible. Maybe you just need to tell that mountain to move!

So why are you hearing this today? Maybe it’s because God doesn’t want you to run from this. Maybe he’s telling his girl right now, “No, you stand there and resist this!”

My sister, the enemy has come after your family. He’s come up against your marriage. He’s salivating over your passion and your purpose. Your confidence, your healing, your calling … it’s all his tasty target. Every single good thing in your life has made the devil lick his lips and come in for the kill.

Now God says, STAND AGAINST THIS!

You don’t resist the devil when you curl up in a ball and pull the covers over your head. You don’t resist the devil when you give up and walk away. You don’t resist the devil when you self-isolate by putting up your walls to keep everyone out. You don’t resist the devil when you take another drink and ask God why you. No, you resist the devil when you take a stand, and you keep standing there.

Why are you giving up the ground God has given you? This is your family! This is your future! These are your dreams planted by your Creator. Don’t you walk away because the devil has shown up with his threats and made his attacks. Girl, you stand your ground and don’t you leave it! With the authority of Jesus, you tell the enemy he MUST flee!

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The definition of resist gives me a superhero image of God’s girls on a mission to fight the forces of evil. Listen to this. Resist: An overt recognition of a threatening force and a positive effort to repel it.

So first, it’s an overt recognition, meaning you see it clearly and know precisely what it is.

Do you see what the enemy has tried to do to you here? Oh I see the fingerprints of slimy demons all over what is happening here. He’s tried to distract you as he does his damage. He’s tried to exhaust you, beat you down, discourage you, and take all the fight out of you. He’s tried to twist the truth, confuse the mission, and blur the lines. He’s been whispering his lies, attacking priorities, and poking at commitments.

See it. See it clearly. Recognize it. This is a threatening force at work.

1 Peter 5: 7, “Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” ANYONE! And maybe right now, anyone has been YOU. It’s been your family. It’s been everything you’ve been working on, dreaming of, planning for. Now the enemy has been trying to absolutely devour it all. That’s the threatening force.

Now, what do we do once we’ve openly seen the real threatening force … we make a positive effort to repel it!

Yelling at whoever is yelling at you won’t fix anything. We aren’t called to throw rocks. You know what we’re called to do … we’re called to wash feet. POSITIVE EFFORT.

We’re called to love. We’re called to forgive. We’re called to invite them to our table. We’re called to be the calm in the chaos. We’re called to be the light in the darkness. We’re called to try again.

Why? Why should you try again? Why should you be the one to forgive? Why should you be the one to go first? Because this is the only thing that repels the threatening force.

You repel the negative with a positive.

Why is it when I say repel, I hear “pew pew pew” in my head. Repel like a force field around you, and the fiery darts of the enemy just bounce right off. Our positive efforts repel the threatening force of the enemy!

God is asking his girls this today: What positive effort will you take in the name of Jesus to repel the threatening force of the enemy?

How will you RESIST the devil by standing against the very things he has brought against you?

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