Which Road Will You Choose to Travel?
"13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." - Mat 7:13-14 NKJV
Resisting the Devil
The Lord gave me part of this word Sunday, May 3rd, 2015 and the rest today. NOW is the time I'm directed by Him to release it. So, I know this will be a RHEMA word for someone who's reading this now. Both questions posed above, first, "Who Are You Resisting ~ the Devil or Holy Spirit?" and second, "Which Road Will You Choose to Travel, the narrow or wide road?" are profound questions that only we can answer for ourself. Consider that you've been trying your best to resist the devil as it says to do in James 4:7b, "7 ....... Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." - James 4:7 NIV
But for some reason it seems he hasn't left at all. Well, for one it doesn't say he will never come back again; does it? Or perhaps he did leave, but you opened the door and let him back in, another possibility. Only when Jesus locks satan away during the 1,000 yr. millennial reign will the devil not be around to bother God's servants or anyone again except for the short period when he will be let out again.
We know there is only one door (Jesus Christ) that leads to life and if you are a Christian it may be safe to assume you know that but not everyone reading this is a Christian or at the same level or crossroad in life. So please keep that in mind while reading. Please note what John 10: 7, 9 says,
"7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ... 9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." - John 10:7, 9 NKJV
So the scriptures show Jesus is the narrow gate or door that leads to the narrow and straight path leading to life. Only a few though find this path which indicates that a person must be looking for this door in order to find it, they must be seeking for Jesus. There are (2) roads, the narrow where only a few find it but most people, the world at large are on the broad path as the following scripture shows us.
"13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." -
Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV
Consider this.....
Resisting the Holy Spirit
Did you know that we can "resist God (the Holy Spirit)?" Yes, we can by walking in rebellion as the Israelites did in ancient times. It is the same today, rebellious hearts and being stiff necked towards God leads us down the broad and spacious road. This road accommodates our every move giving us the freedom that only the world offers which is to live a life of debauchery, living the way WE WANT TO.
Resisting the Holy Spirit is evidenced in the life of someone who says to himself/herself, whatever feels good, like Nike, "just do it". It says I decide what is right or wrong for me, not God. Isn't that the very issue that was raised in the Garden of Eden? The spirit of rebellion was unleashed by Adam and Eve. Now today most choose to go down the same path.
They resist the Holy Spirit which is our helper and friend, the One to help us do what is pleasing to God. He is the essence of LOVE, but the world rejects Him. The worldly person only loves those that love them for their own selfish gain. Note what Acts 7:51 says,
"51 "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!" - Act 7:51 NIV So it's pretty clear what it means to resist the Holy Spirit which is not good at all. But....
So, to resist the devil means we are walking the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life in paradise and to the contrary, resisting the Holy Spirit means we are walking with the world down the wide and spacious road that leads to destruction. The first question that may come to your mind as it did mine is how do I resist the enemy (devil)?
The word "resist" comes from the root meaning of (2) greek words found in Strong's Concordance ~ G473, ante transliterated as anti which means opposite or oppose and G2476, histemi which means to stand, to fix and firmly establish and be of steadfast mind. So we get the picture, resisting means to OPPOSE or go against with a FIRM stance. To resist is more than saying; devil, I resist you in the name of Jesus.
I can see and hear myself doing and saying this over and over again without any seeming results just as you may have done or said or know someone who is being challenged in this regard.
Submit to God First
I asked the Lord, "What is it I'm doing wrong?" He said in so many words, "Faye, speaking the declaration, I resist you devil in Jesus name is a good start because the devil must flee at the name of Jesus. You must truly resist by putting those words into action otherwise they are just empty words.
What's more significant is that you must make sure to apply the first part of the scripture first and foremost. Look at the scripture again." It says,"7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." - James 4:7 NIV " Ok Lord, I get it. Submitting to you comes first. But I thought I had done that. In that conversation with the Lord I came to understand that this is all a lifelong process that I am still walking out with the Lord and learning from Him as I go.
The Holy Spirit is our friend and he will take us by the hand and lead us step by step if we allow Him to. How do we do that? First just giving him permission to take control of our life is what submitting to God means. He further led me to understand that our motive for resisting the devil is paramount in determining the outcome of any given situation. Proverb 20:27 helps us to see that God knows the reasons why we do and say the things we do. He can see what is hidden in our heart.
"27 The LORD's light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive." - Pro 20:27 NLT
"Saying you resist the devil, rebuking evil is an important step in the process of drawing close to me", says the Lord. Submission, LOVE of God and his commandments should be the primary reason and motivating factor that leads us to resisting the devil and all forms of evil no matter what it is. An improper motive will not bring the results we expect.
If our motive is merely to get relief from the fiery test and trials we're going through and not to fully submit to God with the aim of drawing closer to Him, we will end up in the same place or worse off. Jesus said when a spirit leaves, he goes seeking for a place of rest and finds none so he says, I will go back to the place I left. He finds it empty, clean and spacious, returning back with even more bad spirits.
We must submit FULLY to God to receive His Holy Spirit. We want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If we are not fully submitted to God, we will be led down the path of destruction. Because as soon as the test or trial ends, we'll go right back to doing our own thing. Living selfishly, only pleasing ourselves and growing further away from God rather than drawing ever CLOSER to Him.
So the understanding I have gotten from all of this can be summed up in a few steps. There are 5 steps we can take to fully submit and draw close to God and enjoy a personable close intimate relationship with Him. In this way we can stay on the narrow road which leads to life. No, it's not the easy road but it's well worth taking it to have a close personable relationship with our Creator. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can resist the enemy and maintain a pure heart and conscience before God.
Step (1) Submit to God
Pure motives before God and pure love for God will draw us ever so near to God as He draws ever so near to us. To submit to God is like asking Jesus to come into our heart to cleanse us and purify us with the refiner's fire. Christ blood has saved us and cleansed us of all sins. Submitting to God however, is like saying God please take over and help me to not sin against you. I know I'm forgiven but I want to please you with my life. We recognize we can't do this in our own strength but need the help that only God supplies through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. King David was a good example of someone who prayed to God to cleanse him from the evil desires of his carnal flesh.
When we fully submit to God we will see that it is an ongoing process, a lifestyle so to speak. We know the lust of our flesh can easily get us into trouble but only if we allow it. The lust of the senses can entrap us into the claws of the enemy, but drawing close to God and submitting to the Lord is the key to being under his power of strength and protection. Giving God full reign over our will is required to be fully submitted to God. Putting God's will ahead of our own says we love God with our WHOLE heart, mind, soul and strength. Now that we have submitted our life to God and asked him to cleanse and purify our hearts because we want to draw close to him, what comes next?
Step (2) Resist the Devil
Now that we've got our priorities right, motivated by the love of God, time to take a firm stand for God. Don't speak empty words, but resist the enemy by taking action. Take up the full armor of God each and every day. Study to understand how each weapon of warfare is needed and how it is used. Ephesian 6: 10-18 says,
"10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--" - Ephesian 6:10-18 NKJV
Step (3) Making Your Mind Over
You must decide who you will serve this day. The world is passing away, will you choose to love it or yourself more than God and go down into destruction with it. The apostle John said, "17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." - 1John 2:17 NKJV We must make up our mind because the choice is ours to make, God does not force us to serve him. We are free moral agents. He wants us to serve him out of a pure heart filled with pure love.
This comes from our getting to know God through his Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has a specific role to play in our life. How much do you want to know the very character of God displayed in the many facets of his personality? If I say I would like to know God in every way possible, the level of our relationship and intimacy will depend a great deal on my response to the next (2) steps.
Step (4) Bunker In With God
Getting bunkered in with God is like saying God, I'm all in this with you Lord. I love you and want to know you in a close personal way and I want to understand how I can be a better person for you. Bunkering in means we spend time with God in prayer and worship, talking and praising him throughout the day in quiet heart to heart meditation or out loud. To paraphrase John 17:3 it says, 'This means everlasting life their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.'
Through consistent bible study time we can take in this life giving knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ Messiah. Simply seeking his will and purpose for our life keeps us humble before him. We listen for the voice of Jesus through the Holy Spirit as he leads us each day in opportunities to demonstrate the love of God in action. The fruits of the Holy Spirit will manifest in our life as we stay bunkered in with Him.
Also we will be trained by the Holy Spirit with the provided spiritual weapons for spiritual warfare. This means that we can bunker in the trenches with God along with his endtime army of today. We must press on ever forward in the race for life until the end of this age. As we bunker in with the Lord we know we are covered and protected by Him and His holy angels.
Step (5) Firmly Planted in the Word of God
All we have to do is STAND! Stand on the word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. See Rev 19:13 Let us trust in Jesus, our Saviour and Friend by putting our faith into action, for faith without works is dead thereby, obeying his instructions and commandments. Develop a love for his commandments which are not burdensome. Every word, every promise, every prophecy will all come true simply because God cannot and will not LIE.
It's totally against his nature and besides there's no reason for Him to lie or contradict himself. He's the Almighty God, the one who tells the beginning and the end of a matter before it's time. He sends his word forth and it accomplishes whatever he sends it out to do, never to return to him void. Compare Isaiah 55:11 Hallelujah!
Scriptures for Reference:
Holy Spirit ~ Gift, Counselor, Teacher, Helper and Friend
"52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." - Act 13:52 NKJV
"8 "So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us," - Act 15:8 NKJV
"6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia." - Act 16:6 NKJV
"6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied." - Act 19:6 NKJV
"5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." - Rom 5:5 NKJV
"13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Rom 15:13 NKJV
"14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." - John 15:14-15 NLT
"13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." - 1Co 2:13 NKJV
"14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." -
2Co 13:14 NKJV
"4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" - Heb 2:4 NKJV
"13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"" - Luke 11:13 NKJV
"12 "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."" - Luke 12:12 NKJV
"26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." - John 14:26 NKJV
"5 "for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." ... 8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."" - Act 1:5, 8 NKJV
"4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Act 2:4 NKJV
"31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." - Act 4:31 NKJV
"31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied." - Act 9:31 NKJV
Do NOT Resist the Holy Spirit
51 "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Act 7:51 NIV
but do.....
Resist the devil
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 NIV
Weapons of Spiritual Warfare
"10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--" - Eph 6:10-18 NKJV
World engulfed In Lust
"27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error." - Romans 1:27 NIV
"5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." - Colossians 3:5 NIV
"16 For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world." - 1John 2:16 NIV
Making a Choice
"17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." - Deuteronomy 30:17-20 KJV
"18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." - Malachi 3:18 NIV
Word of God
"9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." - Isa 55:9-11 NIV
"2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time," - Titus 1:2 NIV
"18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged." - Hebrews 6:18 NIV
"5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." - Proverbs 30:5 NIV
"12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12 NIV
"5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age" - Hebrews 6:5 NIV
"23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." - 1Peter 1:23 NIV
"14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one." - 1John 2:14 NIV
"2 who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ." - Rev 1:2 NIV
"13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God." - Rev 19:13 NIV
Stand Still ~ Stand Firm
"16 "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!" - 1Sa 12:16 NIV
"17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' "" - 2Ch 20:17 NIV
"16 "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." - Luk 8:16 NIV
"9 Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything." - 2Co 2:9 NIV
"27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel" - Phl 1:27 NIV
Love God with Pure Heart and His Commandments
"127 Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold," - Psa 119:127 NIV
"5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." - 1Ti 1:5 NIV
"22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." - 2Ti 2:22 NIV
"3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." - 1John 5:3 NKJV
Faith Without Works Is Dead
"20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ... 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." - Jas 2:20, 26 NKJV
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