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The Antidote for Anxiety and Depression: Trust in Abba Father’s Care – Pt 28

Resisting the Devil is Your Choice!

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

– James 4:7

In yesterday’s devotional I mentioned that I wrote the last one on the 26th January which was my birthday and didn’t continue because I allowed negative thoughts to take me back into a place of anxiety and depression. What exactly happened on that day? I woke up at 3:00 a.m. as I usually do to have my devotion and enthusiastically wrote the devotional as I was inspired as usual. I was happy when the morning began and anticipated a great birthday as I looked forward to the many birthday greetings via phone calls and messages. However, there was one particular person (my adopted mother) from whom I expected a call but she didn’t call because she forgot. I waited as the morning went by yet still no call from her. I only felt rejection and abandoned by the one who had become a mother to me and it reminded me of the past feelings of rejection and abandonment by my own mother as a child. Several other persons had wished me well on my birthday but I still felt like no one cared. It didn’t matter because none of those persons was my adopted mother. I couldn’t appreciate all the others because of the cognitive distortion ‘polarized thinking’ (all-or-nothing, or black and white thinking). For me it had to have been ‘all or nothing’, that is, if I didn’t receive what I perceived to be all that I needed, then what I did receive was deemed as nothing. That was one of the lies that the devil tried to mentally attack my mind with over and over and over again which I allowed for a very long time. This attack on my mind hindered me from continuing my God given assignment and caused me to unfruitfully go around the mountain of anxiety and depression again. Therefore, an assignment that was intended to be accomplished in one year has been delayed for two year. What a waste of time! All because I didn’t chose to resist the devil.

James tells us in chapter 4 verse 7 to “…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The word “resist” is a derivative of the Greek word anthistemi, a compound of the words anti and istimi. The meaning of the word anti is against, as to oppose something. The meaning of the word istimi is to stand. When compounded together to form the word anthistemi, it means to stand against or to stand in opposition. This word demonstrates the attitude of one who is fiercely opposed to something and therefore determines that he will do everything within his power to resist it, to stand against it, and to defy its operation (Renner, 2003).

James used this word to emphasize to us the need for us to aggressively determine to stand against the work of the devil. It is not enough to just be passive and pray that God will take away the negative thoughts the devil assaults us with. This is warfare and we must fight with all diligence and dedication to successfully drive back the forces of the devil against our lives.

In order to resist the devil we need to understand the devil. The word “devil” is a rendition of the Greek word diabalos, which is a compound of the words dia and balos. The word dia used in this verse means through, as to pierce something from one side all the way through to the other side. The word balos means to throw, like when someone throws an object such as a stone, ball, etc. Joining these two words gives the meaning to repetitiously throw something – striking again and again and again until the object being struck has finally been completely penetrated (Renner, 2003).

It is interesting to note that the word “devil” (diabalo) is more suited as a job description for the devil than a name. It therefore means that the devil’s job description include tenaciously assailing our minds with lies until our minds are completely penetrated and eventually our lives destroyed.

Nevertheless, the choice is yours to resist the devil and he will flee from you. The word “flee” comes from the Greek word pheugo which means to flee or to take flight, depicting a lawbreaker who flees in terror from a nation where he broke the law, in order to escape the prosecution process or the judgement and not face the consequences, he flees for his live (Renner, 2003). This is what the devil does when we resist him. He takes flight so quickly because he is afraid of what we will do to him for trying to throw lies at our minds.

God has already given you power and authority over every work of the devil. Chose to resist him today and he will certainly flee from you.

Shalom!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father Oh how marvellous it is to worship You. My soul magnifies You Lord. Thank you for giving me power and authority over all the works of the devil and for seating me in the heavenly realm with You far above all principalities and powers of the devil. I declare today that I will resist the devil every time he tries to attack my mind with lies and he will flee from me in terror. I am victorious in Christ. I prayer this by faith in Jesus’ name with thanksgiving. Amen!