Counselor’s Corner
Resist and Flee
Dear Sir
I am a teenager, and a college student. I have been struggling in my
Christian life because I feel that I am powerless to resist and flee from sin
and Satan. There are failures in my life and feel sad about it. It leads me to serious
guilt. I genuinely want to flee from sin and resist the devil. But I do not
know how to do it practically. I shared this burden with another believer and
was told that he also has such struggles and didn’t know what to do. Can we not
find victory in our Christian life? Is there any hope for people like me? We do
not know who to ask for help. Please guide us through the pages of your
magazine.
Sincerely in Christ
Sam
Dear Sam:
Thank you for your openness in writing to me. I understand your struggles which a lot of young believers in Christ are faced with. The fact that you are sad and feeling guilty is the sign that you have a genuine interest and commitment to get victory in your Christian life. Please understand that all Christians, no matter how zealous and mature they are, have such struggles of varying degrees. This is because we live in a sinful body and in a sinful environment. The devil is out there as a roaring lion to devour us and make us fall into sin. If we are not careful, it is likely that we will experience failure and defeat. But God doesn’t want us to fall into sin and get defeated. He wants us to be victorious. In fact, we are declared more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, our Lord (Romans 8:37-40). He is our model and so we need to live by looking unto Jesus in all our situations and circumstances (Hebrews 3:1). He is our role model in defeating Satan. He always used the Word of God, that sharp sword, to defeat Satan. When the Bible gives us the commandment to resist the devil and flee from him and his sinful ways, (James 4:7) it necessarily means that our Lord will give us the power, strength and boldness to resist the devil. This means that we must use the whole armor of God and fight the devil (Ephesians 6:13-18). Wherever and whenever necessary, we must also flee the environment and situation which might lead us to defeat and make us fall into sin. Please read the following verses to get encouragement: 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 13:14; 2 Timothy 2:22; Hebrews 12:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Colossians 3:5-10; Matthew 26:41; Galatians 5:16.
You might be aware of the fact that sin comes into our lives through our five senses. So when we find victory by resisting sin in our five senses through the power of the Spirit of God, we will be able to overcome sins in our lives. This victory is ours as we continue to live with the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives on a daily basis. When we are filled with the Spirit, we will have the power of the Spirit to resist sin and flee sin and Satan. We will also experience the control of the Spirit in our lives. If we try to resist and flee in our own strength and power, we will be susceptible to fall into sin and get defeat in the hands of the devil.
I am giving below a few suggestions for you to consider as you are confronted with the tactics of the devil to drag you into sin:
a. If you are tempted to look at any object, picture, person or material that will create in you an unholy desire of some sort and entice you, the best course of action is to close your eyes and start praying for victory in such a temptation. Turn your head the other way. Fill your mind with godly thoughts as described in Philippians 4:8. Pray for victory and praise God each time you get victory.
b. Surrender your eyes and ears to the Lord continuously so that He would take full control of it. Thus your desire or craving for things that tempt you will come down and slowly disappear.
c. Continuously examine your heart and mind to see if any of the 15 elements of fleshly life (Galatians 5:19-21) hit your mind. Rebuke it in the power of the Spirit of God and ask it to leave you in the name of Jesus Christ (Matthew 17:21). Such power will be yours as you pray intensely and also accompanied with fasting as appropriately.
d. Pray continuously for God’s protection against the devil’s attack. Be always aware of the impending attack of the enemy to capture, manipulate and trap your five senses somehow to commit sin in your heart.
e. Keep away from all spots which might lead you to sin. The nearer you are to these spots, the easier it is for you to fall to the temptation to sin. These spots might be places of the presence of certain type of people, institutions and media inputs like films, literature, music, pictures and any other sensuous elements in the environment.
f. Always be conscious of the fact that your heart is given to Jesus to rule as the Lord of your life. Don’s allow anything like desire for power, prestige, prominence, position, possessions, worldly acclaim, recognition and appreciation to rule in your heart.
g. Constantly remind yourself of the fact that you are not your own, but are purchased by Jesus Christ with His blood. As you belong to Jesus, your Master, every time your mind or thoughts lean towards any worldly or sinful ways, ask Jesus to help you not to fall and to protect you (Matthew 6:13).
h. Saturate yourself with the Word of God which is your best defense against sin and falling into temptations. Read it regularly and keep a regular ‘quiet time’ with the Lord. Study the Word and try to understand its deeper meaning. So when the enemy and temptations come knocking at the door of your heart, the Holy Spirit who is the writer of the Word will remind you of appropriate portions to strengthen you so that you can resist the devil and temptations to sin.
i. I strongly recommend that you find a prayer partner with whom you may spend time in 2x2 prayer sessions on a regular basis. This will be a great support for your spiritual life and will strengthen you spiritually.
j. Be filled with the Spirit of God which means to be controlled by the Spirit. It involves examining ourselves to identify our spiritual weaknesses, failures and sinfulness and confess it all wholeheartedly to the Lord in prayer. It means to confess and express your godly sorrow in grieving the heart of God with your sins and ask God to forgive all your known and unknown sins of omission and commission. After this, deeply desire for the fullness of the Spirit and pray that you be filled. As you pray continuously and spend time with the Lord, God will keep His promise and give you the power of His Spirit and help you to experience the fullness and control of the Spirit (Luke 11:9-13). Thus you will experience the renewing of your heart and will be filled with the joy and peace which are the result of being controlled by the Spirit. You will then be able to bear the fruit of the Spirit. But please know that this experience has to be in your life in a continuous manner. Whenever you lose this control of the Spirit, you will fall a prey to sin and temptations and ultimately to the enemy’s enticing.
k. Spend more time in fellowship with God’s people. Try not to be alone or get isolated, but be occupied with God, His people and His Word. When you are thus in regular fellowship with God, His Word and His people, your spiritual life will be further strengthened. This is the way to gain more strength on a daily basis to resist the devil.
l. Please conduct a Bible study about all your spiritual positions in the Lord and keep thanking God for giving you all these positions. This will remind you of your preciousness in the sight of God and work as a guard against the attacks of the enemy.
m. Make sure not to feed your flesh with anything sinful, sensuous and materialistic. This means to deny your five senses anything that might tempt you to commit sin in your heart or with your body. Thus your flesh will be kept week and your spirit will be strong. This strength will help you not to fall into sin and temptations.
n. Denounce anything temporal that the world and the enemy offer you. Remember how Abraham denounced to accept even what was legitimately his, after he defeated the enemy kings to rescue Lot and his family? (Genesis 14:22). Paul gave another great challenge when he considered all that the world offered him as garbage (Philippians 3:7).
o. If you are caught in tight situations, the best course of action is to run for life and escape sensitive, sensuous and tempting situations before temptations and sin will overpower you.
p. Keep praising God for every victory God gives you. At the same time, confess every failure and defeat in your life and ask for forgiveness and greater strength to resist situations which might lead you to defeat in your spiritual life.
q. Remember, Christian life is a life of warfare. We must remind ourselves that we are soldiers, in the battlefield. Jesus is our Commander-in-Chief. He has given us the whole armor of God to use in the battle (Ephesians 6:13-18). Prayerfully learn to use the whole armor and never take this battle lightly.
r. Please study all the verses in the Bible which speaks of spiritual warfare and the characteristics of the soldier of Jesus Christ so that you can become a true soldier (Luke 14:25-35; 2 Timothy 2:1, 3-4). Please also study the portions in the Old Testament pertaining to the wars led by Moses, Joshua and David and learn lessons about fighting the battle and engaging in incessant prayer (Ephesians 6:18-20; Colossians 4:12).
s. Our warfare against sin, world and Satan is an inch-by-inch battle. It’s tough, but we are already declared victorious. So let us fight the battle by faith and claim victory in all areas of our life (Romans 8:37).
t. No matter what you do in life, do it all in the name of the Lord and praise God for the enabling (Colossians 3:17).
u. One of the ways to engage your mind in godly matters is to get involved in sharing gospel with the unsaved. It’s also good to get yourself occupied with some spiritual ministries in your local assembly. Thus your mind will be always be busy with spiritual matters. Remember: when you keep your life and mind idle, the devil will make it his workshop to make you fall into sin and unholy things.
v. Keep committing yourself with your body, soul, mind, conscience, priorities, likes, dislikes and interests to the sovereignty of your Lord to use it all for His glory all through your life.
I hope these insights will help you to understand how you can resist the devil and flee from sin.
May God strengthen you to RESIST SIN AND THE DEVIL and to FLEE before you might fall into sin! May God help you to find victory on a daily and hourly basis! Its available for those who ask God (Psalms 9:10; 86:5).
I am praying for you to enjoy victory so that you will have a joyful Christian life.
Yours sincerely
Oommen Philip
Today in the WORD
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