#Resist the Devil

[livingfortheheartofchrist]

“Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

“Resist him, firmer in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.”

1 Peter 5:8-9

[an-unanonymous-messenger]

Life on this planet is a constant battle. Every day, we just struggle to stay faithful to God, while being tested by the devil to give up and live worldly. Even the smallest sin can be great betrayal to God, and a step for the devil to take over you. But we should not allow evil to take us over, but to conquer evil with good (Romans 12:21). The devil will not stop tempting and discouraging you, until your time on earth has come to an end. This should not be a good excuse for suicide though, but a wake-up call for all of us to rise and fight. Our battle is not fleshly, but spiritual, and spiritually will we win. We already won by faith in Christ the Son of God, but now we need to fight to keep hold of this victory until the end of these rounds of devilish attacks. Let us therefore keep ourselves as God's children to the end, resiting the devil until he'd give up on us forever.

[your-heart-is-a-treasure]

The window of the eye is of no benefit unless it looks with the light of the heart, as it is impossible to behold a clear vision behind a foggy window.

[tabernacleheart]

What does it mean to be humble in our relationship with God? There are three things that the apostle James mentions that can help us [surrender to God daily].

1. Submit to God. Submitting to God means coming under His authority. Rather than living according to our own desires and ways of living, we should submit those things to God and live according to His desires and standards. [Yet] in order to truly submit to God, we must first recognize that His ways are better than ours. We must recognize that He knows better than we do. We must also believe that He has our best intentions in mind, [even when His decision is completely different than what we would have chosen]. He cares for us [unconditionally, seeking only the highest good of our souls, and we can take refuge in that truth].

2. Resist the devil. The devil desires to keep us from our relationship with God and cause us to stray from God. When we resist him by God’s strength [not our own!], he will flee from us.

3. Draw near to God. The best way to submit to God and resist the devil is to draw close to God in our relationship with Him. Not only does He promise to draw close to us, but [through that nearness] He will also give us strength and grace to endure every trial.

Take a moment to think about your own life. Are there parts of your life or plans that you haven't surrendered to God? [Consider this, and] right now, think of ways you can make [moments of surrender] part of your daily habits. [For example, you can] speak words of encouragement and hope to anyone He puts in front of [you, instead of ignoring them or being judgmental. You can] choose to not take part in activities that pull [you] away from Him, [or that will damage your relationship with Him. And perhaps most importantly, you can commit to spending honest] time with God before [you] do anything else.

Every day, [every moment even,] is a new opportunity to submit ourselves to God and to draw near to Him [in loving humility. He is always waiting with open arms!]

Youversion

[follower-of-jesus-christ-forever]

Put your Faith in Jesus Christ. Repent from your sins pick up your cross and follow Him. Study the Word of God ,meditate on it, take it seriously and put the whole Armor of God to withstand the attacks of the enemy(resist him and he will flee from you)!!!

[scripture-pictures]

[tom4jc]

September 20, 2024 Memory Verse

[shotmrmiller]

being at a haunted house with your friends only to get separated and end up alone in a random room. it looks empty, except for the usual props and you're just taking a moment to catch your breath, wiping your sweaty palms on your jeans only to spot something in the corner shift, realizing that you're not alone.

a guy as broad as the door behind him is in there with you, costume seemingly lower budget than the others (was he called in at the last minute? his mask makes him look more a criminal than whatever the hell he's supposed to be.)

he's a clean two or three heads above yours, his dark clothing making him hard to see, blending in with the jagged shadows created by the red (because red means scary, right?) flickering lights overhead, and he's standing right in front of the quick exit, neon green sign barely grazing the crown of his head. shit.

a sudden, ear-splitting noise activates your fight or flight response and you're out the way you came in a second flat, uncaring that you're running against the flow of traffic, harshly bumping shoulders into both visitors and actors alike, and instinct takes over- without a second thought, you glance back over your shoulder.

the guy you'd bolted from is moving with unsettling purpose your way. the crowd parts around him, letting him gain on you effortlessly, his hulking stature looming larger with every step.

his eyes lock onto yours and your breath snags in your throat- he's a hunter, staring you down through the scope of a rifle, as if you're nothing other than fresh game for him to take home and devour.

you push on even though it feels like you're swimming upstream, his gaze burning into your back like a brand, the icy fear slithering through your veins alive, coiling around your galloping heart, tightening with every ragged breath.

until you hit a dead end. cornered, every instinct screaming for an escape that doesn't exist. and then he's on you, presence overwhelming, reaching a paw-sized hand toward you-

"i thought you guys aren't allowed to touch us?" you choke out, his fingers curling around your wrist and you wonder if he can feel your racing pulse.

his breath warms the side of your throat. "says who, pet? you're free t'stop me." if you can.

(soap and kyle watch him come out with you in hand, looking like you're about to be sick. kyle gives you a water bottle and soap pats your back, telling you that if yer that scared, he'll go with ye next time.)

[mistergillis]

Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7)

Why is it important to resist the devil? What is he really doing to me? Hopefully he already fled and is doing nothing. Sadly, we allow him to influence us to sin in a variety of ways.

Sin is the action of the devils influence. He starts by deceiving our thoughts to convince us that it’s okay to sin. This process could be short or he could deceive us over time and then pounce.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

That someone is us! Now, who wants a prowling lion next to them all day everyday? Sounds like hell. We don’t see this, but it begins to weaken our spirit and eventually leads to anxiety, depression, bipolar, fear and list goes on.

We can allow the devil’s deception and give him a reason to pounce or we can resist him from the start and eventually he will walk away giving us room for God’s goodness that He puts out generously.

[dkcdude]

Spirit of Distraction

Much as it pains me to admit it, Satan is very good at his job. And what is his job? To separate as many human beings from God as he can. He hates love and loves hate. One of Satan’s most successful methods he uses to keep us from developing a deep relationship with God is the spirit of distraction. This seems to be one of the pervasive themes in this technological age in which we live. There…

[lilfriezatyrant]

Deer Man got me again and it is the same hype since years agooo 😩😩😩

@reptile--queen thank you so so so so much for watching and sharing this with me 🥺💜❤

[demonboyhalo]

and ik discovering the fanfic sex pollen effect of the sephora spider sex cream must've been traumatizing but this is much funnier than the lemonade that just kills you

[saintundying]

thinking about armand continuing to see daniel even past '85 is actually so good. armand unable to stay away, daniel unable to stop falling. think about armand as a stranger coming up to daniel at bars, book signings, or conferences. daniel will always fall for him every time. armand tells himself every time this will be the last time. how long could it last before daniel visibly wouldn't feel comfortable by how young armand looks? you granted him life and now it has doomed you again

[yeslordmyking]

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me.... [ Read devo thought and prayer for this Bible verse ]

[fascinationstreetmp3]

i guess that last post is also one of the reasons i find armand/daniel compelling (referring to the books mostly right now but it also applies to the show in a way) because daniel never really seems 'seduced' right away just by armand's looks like so many others are. he's afraid of him, but drawn to him. and it's the horror of him that he becomes attracted to, it's the first thing he sees. he does still find him physically attractive and i suppose he's still 'seduced', but the way it happens is very different; it's not his innocence or vulnerability or sweet face that makes daniel drop his guard. armand purposefully acts as terrifying and strange as he can for four years, constantly following him, being off putting and haunting and demanding and oddly caring at times and excited and annoying and confusing and scary, and that's who daniel falls in love with, who he stops running to be with. it's an unconventional kind of seduction and one armand is an active participant in. daniel is someone who comes to love him because of his nature, not in spite of it; who knows armand may look like a gentle, thoughtful young man, but to daniel, that's hardly relevant.