Opposing the Devil
1 Peter 5:9
"Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."
Make no mistake, the Devil is out to destroy you. Verse 8 says that the Devil is your adversary. An adversary is your opponent, your enemy, the one who opposes and attacks you. Because the Devil is your adversary, that means you should oppose everything he does. Christian, he is not your friend. You should not go along with anything that the Devil may want you to do. Everything that he wants you to do should be opposed. When you study the Scriptures, you find there are several ways to oppose the Devil.
First, oppose the Devil by standing for the faith. The verse above tells us to be "stedfast." That means nothing should move what you believe. You need to be stubborn about what the Word of God commands you to do. Several times I have been told that I am stubborn and bullheaded about what I believe and that no one can tell me what to do. That is exactly how you oppose the Devil. Let me make this clear, the faith should not be up for discussion. You should never negotiate about the faith. Rather, you should oppose the Devil by not allowing your faith to waver.
Second, oppose the Devil by submitting to God. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."You will notice the way to resist the Devil is by submitting to God. In other words, placing yourself under God's authority is how you oppose the Devil. It does not say that you oppose the Devil by being loyal to man, but you oppose the Devil by submitting to God. Submitting to God is certainly being subject to the authorities that God has placed in your life, but when those authorities ask you to go against God's authority, then you should always oppose the Devil by submitting to God.
Third, oppose the Devil by using the Word of God. When the Devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus used the Word of God to oppose him. Christian, one of your two greatest weapons that you can use is the Word of God. You will never be successful at opposing the Devil if you don't study and memorize God's Word. God's Word will repel the Devil away from the Christian like oil repels water. Have a daily time to study God's Word. God's Word must be the most often read Book in your life.
Fourth, oppose the Devil by putting on the whole armour of God. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The Devil is out to destroy you. Because he wants to destroy you, you need every piece of armour God offers to keep you from being destroyed. Arm yourself with truth, righteousness, soul winning, faith and prayer so that you can oppose all the attacks of the Devil.
The Devil is your enemy and should be opposed at all costs. Ephesians 4:27 commands, "Neither give place to the devil." Don't let the Devil have any place to work in your heart and life. Oppose him with all your strength so that you can have a better testimony for Christ. The more you oppose the Devil, the better witness you can be for Christ. The better witness you are for Christ, the more souls you will be able to lead to Him.