Submission & Resistance (Part 2)

1.  In order to resist the devil, we must first deny self and submit self to God.   

      MAT 16:24; JAM 4:5-7.

      A. Deny:  "(To say 'no' to the claims of)  To refuse to recognize or acknowledge   (a person or thing) as having a certain character or certain claims; to disown,

            disavow, repudiate, renounce."

      B. Submit:  "To place oneself under the control of a person in authority or    power; to become subject, surrender oneself, or yield to a person or his rule,   etc."

2. Our "self" is a complex being consisting of many aspects:  our soul, will,    intellect, emotions, desires, physique, senses, etc. 

3. True submission to God is only realized when every aspect of our being deems God  to have rightful preeminence over it and surrenders to Him.  MAR 12:30.

4. This submission to God can only happen if we truly believe that there is a God Who  can be pleased by our submission.  HEB 11:6.

5.  It is not just a matter of believing God's existence but also believing His concern  and approachability.  1PE 5:7; PHIL 4:6-7.

6.  If we are to submit to God and so resist the devil, we must acknowledge God for  Whom He is, renouncing all distorted perceptions of God that Satan uses to hold us  in bondage. 

      A.  This is why a saint must "...gird up the loins of his mind..." (1PE 1:13), and    cast "...down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against    the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the    obedience of Christ" (2CO 10:5).

      B. We should be striving to only know God as He is revealed through Jesus

       Christ in His word, not our emotions, imagination, circumstances or through   nature.  MAT 11:27; JOH 1:18; 1JO 5:20.

            (1) Is God to us a mere force mystically overseeing nature from a distance    or is He a mighty, personal Sovereign in immediate and complete     control of all things?  DAN 4:35; ISA 46:8-10.

            (2) Is God a failing, frustrated God who did not save His people from their

                  sins, who loses the bulk of those He came to save, who could not set     up his kingdom at the appointed time, who could not preserve his word    or his church---or is He the successful conqueror Who finished all     scheduled tasks and faithfully keeps all His promises? 

                  JOH 4:34; 17:4; HEB 10:23. 

            (3) Is God an unapproachable Potentate who is only justice and judgment

                  or is He also a God of great compassion, longsuffering and mercy Who

                  knows our weaknesses and bids us to come? 

                  PSA 103:10-14; HEB 4:15-16.

            (4) Is God detached from the daily needs and circumstances of His people    or does He have a keen eye to the same, an abundant treasury from

                  which He can draw, and is well able to deliver from trouble?

                  MAT 6:28-32; PHIL 4:19; 1CO 10:13; ROM 10:13; HEB 7:25.

   C.  With the proper understanding of Who God is, we can be sure that submitting   to Him is possible and beneficial.  JOH 8:36.

7.  Submission to God depends upon submission to truth, which is impossible if one   does not believe he has a reliable source of truth.

      A. This underscores the importance of the doctrine of the preservation of    Scripture.

      B. Under the barrage of contradictory "versions" of scripture, the impression is

            left that there is no "sure word of prophecy" (2PE 1:19) which definitively

            sets forth the articles of submission. 

8.  In surrendering self to God, we must renounce any blaming of God for our own  mistakes.  PRO 19:3; JAM 1:13-14. 

      A. We must also renounce blaming others for our own mistakes, for this is

            actually another form of blaming God Who allowed us to have contact with

            those who adversely affected us.  GEN 4:12.

      B. We must accept responsibility for our errant actions.  LEV 26:40-42.

   C.  We must cease from justifying ourselves and justify God and His truth. 

            JOB 32:2; LUK 7:35; 18:13-14.

      D.  Submission is clearly dependent upon humility.  JAM 4:6.

9.  Any area of life where we are not submitting to God is a weakness in our defence  where Satan gains a toehold to build a stronghold.

      A. The unsubmitted eye is the portal of darkness to the whole body. 

            LUK 11:34; 2SA 11:3 c/w PSA 101:3; 119:37.

      B. The unsubmitted tongue defiles the whole body.  JAM 3:6.

      C. The unsubmitted intellect is turned over to confusion and vain imagination.    ROM 1:21-25.

      D. The unsubmitted desire may be fearfully answered.  PSA 78:27-31; 106:15.

      E. The unsubmitted will condemns one as a hypocrite in simple prayers.

            MAT 6:10.

      F. The unsubmitted emotion undermines faith.  LUK 24:41.

      G. The unsubmitted relationship hinders prayer.  1PE 3:6-7.

      H. The unsubmitted memory will be corrupted or hindered by former ways.

            ACT 7:39; LUK 17:32; HEB 11:15 ct/w PHIL 3:13; 1PE 4:3.

10. Having submitted self to God, resistance of the devil is an attainable reality. 

      JAM 4:7.

   A.    We have not the power within ourselves to overcome and repel Satan.

            (1) Our flesh is sold under sin and bereft of any good thing. 

                  ROM 7:14, 18.

            (2) As such, Satan has an ally within us that is pre-programmed for

                  deception and yielding to temptation.    

            (3) Michael, the sinless archangel referred certain contentions with the

                  devil to God.  JUDE 1:9.

            (4) We are sadly mistaken if we think we can stand toe-to-toe with the

        prince of the power of the air and outpower him.

   B.  But Christ has such power and appeals to Him for deliverance are honored. 

            1JO 4:4 c/w ROM 10:13.

     (1)  We appeal to Christ through prayer.  MAT 6:13.

                  AA. Such appeals should not be limited to deliverance for ourselves     only.  We are much affected by those around us whom Satan

                        holds captive.

       BB.  These prayers against the wiles of Satan should also be for other

                        saints.  EPH 6:18.

       CC. Pray even for oppressors to find deliverance from Satan's

            captivities.  MAT 5:44; JOB 42:10.

     (2)  We appeal to Christ through appealing to His word.  MAT 4:1-11.

   C.  Picture a woman who is being oppressed by some huge brute of a man whom   she mistakenly let into her house.

     (1)  She can't overpower him but she can call upon a higher power (police)    to escort him out.

     (2)  Once he's been removed by the higher power she can bolt the door

         and keep him out.

     (3)  Once liberated she must be stedfast to recognize his voice when he     comes to her door and not open it to him again.  GAL 5:1.

      D.  Resistance of the devil is to be "stedfast IN THE FAITH" according to

            1PE 5:9.  See also 1JO 5:4.

     (1)  "...Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God"

                  (ROM 10:17).

           (2)  Every aspect of resisting Satan, including knowing his power, God's     power, and our power and position in Christ must be based upon the     truth of the Scripture!

       AA. Truth is our first line of defence.  PSA 91:4; EPH 6:14.

       BB. Truth must be consciously chosen over a lie.  PSA 119:30.

       CC.  Truth gives us special closeness to God.  PSA 145:18.

       DD.  Truth is a critical element in our personal sanctification.

            PRO 16:6; JOH 17:17; 1JO 1:7.

       EE.  The more familiar we are with the Scripture, the greater our

            ability is to overcome Satan.  1JO 2:14; PSA 119:11.

    E.  IJO 5:18. "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that    is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

      (1)  Satan is frustrated by the saint who keepeth himself.

      (2)  We are to keep ourselves from idols.  1JO 5:21.

      (3)  We are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.  JAM 1:27.

      (4)  We are to keep ourselves in the love of God (JUDE 1:21), which

          means obeying His commandments.  1JO 5:3.

      (5)  In keeping ourselves in God's love by obeying His commandments,

          we keep ourselves from iniquity.  PSA 18:22-23.

11. A critical element in successfully resisting Satan is embracing the truth about our   position, power and identity in Christ.

   A.  All of Satan's accusing lies about us must be renounced in favor of the truth.   B. We will not walk free from Satan and sin unless we realize that we are truly    free and that sin is not an uncontested master of our selves.

    C.  Satan does not need to actually hold us captive.  By simply convincing us    that we are not free of his power we will not walk as free men.

   D.  Satan loves to accuse our consciences whenever we slip up, implying that we   are not even God's child and should just concede.

     (1)  When we feel like worthless nobodies we will act like just like that,     "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." (PRO 23:7).

     (2)  However, there is a big difference between having sin and being sin.

     (3)  In Christ we are no longer totally depraved sinners; we have been     redeemed by the blood of our Savior and are saints who sometimes sin.     ROM 7:21.

      E. Satan loves also to dredge up the vileness of our unconverted past to keep us

            from liberty and we all have plenty of dark skeletons in old closets.  Listen to   these wise words written to young ladies by two young ladies:

                  "Every one of us has been defiled in some way by the crooked and    perverse generation we were born into.  None of us are as pure, mentally, as    we could be or should be.  Some girls who read this have had their physical    purity compromised, either by their own foolishness or against their will.     Our corrupt and predatory culture is a very unsafe place for the gentler sex,    and the Lord Jesus Christ knows our predicament very well.

                  "What did Jesus tell the woman in adultery?  'Go your way, and sin no   more.'   The same love that was extended to her has been extended to us by    the same Savior.  The forgiveness offered to us in Christ motivates us to    pursue sanctification.  This means we become set apart from our ugly culture  and from what we once were by God's grace.

                  "He knows we are not as righteous as He is.  He knows we have reason   for shame, so He gives us His righteousness so He can accept us as righteous  and look at us completely pure as He is.  This is the essence of forgiveness in   Christ, which makes us clean in God's sight.  We need to learn to delight in

            this forgiveness.  It would be insulting to our Savior for us to morbidly sulk

            about our former impurity.  We have been purified by Christ.

                  "Think about your future, ladies, not your past.  We have so much to    look forward to thanks to the forgiveness given us because of what Jesus did  for us on the cross.  He has replaced our impurity with his righteousness so

            that we can live forever in a place of no impurity.  When we die we will be    raised up in glory and recognized as beloved of the Father.  Openly     acknowledged as having no impurity.  We should live every day in the

            comforting assurance of this position and in a way that honors the Savior    who bled and died to exalt us to such a place.

                  "Once you understand your forgiveness in Christ, you will be able to

            think and act like a pure woman, and your future husband will be able to

            truly see you as such." 

            (Anna Sofia Botkin & Elizabeth Botkin, So Much More,  pp. 222-224)

      F.  Satan may disrupt our daily victory, but not our position and identity in    Christ.  But if he can dupe us into believing that we are NOT in Christ we    will live as though not in Him.

   G.  Paul's prayer was that believers would perceive their position in Christ of    being exalted over Satan.  EPH 1:18-21; 2:4-6.

      H.  If we do not realize our position and power over Satan we will not utilize it.

    I.  Mark the TRUTH about our identity in Christ:

      (1)  Our old man died with Christ.  ROM 6:6; GAL 2:20.

      (2)  We are new creatures in Him.  2CO 5:17.

      (3)  We have NO condemnation.  ROM 8:1, 33-34.

      (4)  We are secure in His love.  ROM 8:38-39.

      (5)  We are seated positionally with Christ in heaven.  EPH 2:6.

      (6)  We are NO MORE under sin's dominion.  ROM 6:8-11, 14.

      (7)  We are FREE from the law of sin and death.  ROM 7:4; 8:2.

      (8)  We have His Spirit for victory.  1JO 4:4; ROM 8:11.

      (9)  No temptation or oppression is greater than His grace.

           ROM 5:20; 1CO 10:13; 2CO 12:9-10.

      (10)  We may boldly approach Him for grace to overcome.  HEB 4:16.

      J. Believers are not the products of our past sins, our culture, our weak spots or   our present failures.  We are the blood-bought products of Jesus Christ and

            His merciful grace who no longer belong to Satan nor need be held captive    by his deceptions.   GAL 2:20; 5:1.