Oftentimes people are quick to quote the second part of James 4:7, omitting the key found in the first part.
"Therefore submit to God."
"Therefore submit to God."
It is only in that submission that one gains the ability to resist the devil. We can never hope to do it in our own strength or based on what we've seen done by someone else. The seven sons of Sciva learned that lesson the hard way in Acts 19.
Before going any further on this journey you must take the time to ask yourself if you have truly submitted yourself to God- as best you understand Him- as He reveals Himself through the pages of the Bible.
Now what?
Now expect push back. Expect the oppression. Expect the sudden feelings of exhaustion. Expect whatever it is that will keep you from spending dedicated time in prayer and study of the Word. Whatever works- that's what the enemy will continue to use.
Until it no longer works.
Start by giving time for your own walk and relationship with Jesus. This is not to say that you have to make yourself perfect before you can progress. If that were the case, none of us would ever get anywhere. Only Jesus was and is perfect. So long as there is breath in our lungs we will have room for improvement. Just the same, knowing that there is room for improvement is not grounds to neglect the process of sanctification in our lives.
Then extend from there to your family and home. This is always your fist ministry. Don't let what others are doing force you to feel as though you're either not doing enough or not good enough. Their walk is between them and God just as yours is between you and God. If you keep your eyes on Him, you worry less about how you compare to those around you.
Have yourself and your home covered? Then start to expand.
Resistance is made possible by knowing the Truth.
You will likely feel from time to time that spending so much time reading and studying the Bible, while it helps your mindset, really isn't of much direct benefit. Don't listen to the lie.
You will likely feel from time to time that spending so much time reading and studying the Bible, while it helps your mindset, really isn't of much direct benefit. Don't listen to the lie.
We can only resist to the extent that we are able to identify something as false. As the old adage goes, bank tellers don't study counterfeits in order to learn how to identify them. They become so familiar with the touch, feel, and appearance of the real bills that they can spot the counterfeit easily. As with resisting- we don't have to be able to identify the specific lie or how it is false- we just need to know that it's not Truth based on Scripture.
You may find it beneficial to find someone to team up with as accountability partners. This could be someone nearby or not. But it may help to have someone checking in able to offer encouragement and prayer from time to time- just as you could likely help someone with the same.
We are all in this fight together- it is not a competition. Let's endeavor to keep our sights set on the common enemy that we share.
What does resistance look like?
It looks like prayer.
It looks like praise and worship.
It looks like repentance and personal accountability.
And when the opportunities arrive, it looks like speaking up and exposing the lies of the enemy.
It is the intentional choice to submit to God and draw near to Him out of which a natural resistance and aversion to the lies of the enemy grows.
Over time, it looks like gradual growth and increasing consistency in choosing the ways of God over those of the world. In a word: progress.