“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” — James 4:7
Wrestling with the Devil
Wrestling is big business. On Monday nights, people across America are eating snacks, drinking beverages and sitting on the edge of their seats during big grudge matches between rivals. Roman Reigns and John Cena are some of the famous wrestlers today. Also, several women, including Lacey Evans and Alexa Bliss, started professional wrestling in recent years.
Before matches, the guys and the girls do a lot of boasting and trash talking about who might win. The crowd in the arena, as well as the crowd at home, get caught up in the drama. The adrenaline flows for the wrestlers and their fans until somebody wins.
Daily, we are in a real wrestling match with the devil. If we want to win, then we need to understand who he is. Lucifer was created by God and started as a good angel. He corrupted himself and he became known as Satan or the devil.
“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. … Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.” — Ezekiel 28:14-15, 17
Jesus said he saw Lucifer thrown out of Heaven by the Heavenly Father for rebellion. “He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven’” (Luke 10:18). Since that time, the devil seeks to deceive and destroy.
Therefore, we need to be ready through prayer and Bible reading. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9). When Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus body-slammed him by quoting Scripture.
We can outwrestle the devil if we rely on God’s strength to overcome. We lose some matches but we will win in the end. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). When we believe in Jesus, we start learning to say no to Satan. God turns us “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God…” (Acts 26:18).
Through Christ and studying the Bible, we learn to recognize the devil’s lies and to do good even when Satan tries to trick us into doing wrong.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Ga.
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