Resist Not part 4
Yesterday we talked about "resisting" by not resisting. Knowing the truth and ignoring the lie. Turning the other cheek, shrugging our shoulders, and walking away. You don't have to fight when you understand that Jesus won the war to end all wars. He fought so that we don't have to. So finished the work so that we could enjoy the fruit of His labor. He worked so that we could rest. And I heard a preacher once say it like this, "When you work God will rest. But when you rest, God will work." When we try to do it ourselves I think, for the most part, God will let us. I've long said He is too much of a gentleman to force His will on us. That's that measure of free will that we have. And I say "measure" because when Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross, and He drew all men into Himself, He did that without consulting us. Without our "permission," if I can say it that way. He simply did that because it needed doing. He made His glorious eternal, abundant, everlasting, Resurrection Life available to us. He gave it to us, for the plain and simple reason that He wanted us to have it. Because He loves us. God wanted the best for us, so He gave the best to us. He gave us His only begotten Son. So that we might know who we really are by knowing who HE really is. By knowing who (and what) LOVE really is! That's how we overcome evil with good; we love the hell out of people. You don't have to try to squash their behavior, or force them to change. You can simply love them. Submit yourself to God and resist the devil, right? Resist BY submission. Look at Ephesians 4:26-27, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil." If you know the truth you can ignore the lie. You don't have to fight the lie. Or prove it wrong. It will prove itself wrong. You can simply ignore it and keep living your best life. "Resist" the devil. Not by focusing on him or fighting him... but by simply not giving place to him. I know there are people who are locked into combat with the devil from the moment they wake up until the moment they fall asleep. And probably in their dreams as well. That takes a lot of time and energy. So why are we giving power to something that is powerless? Why are we spending (wasting) our Three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) on something that doesn't deserve it? I don't think about the devil pretty much ever. Or sin, for that matter. Because I'm too busy thinking about love. Too busy trying to help people. Too busy focusing on what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Because what you feed is what will grow. What you magnify in your life is what will manifest in your life. What you empower is what will have power. So don't focus on the devil--even in order to resist him. Simply give no place to him. Jesus crushed his head with His heel, right? Put him under our feet? So it's not something we need to concern ourselves with. LOVE is what we need to concern ourselves with. Letting God love us and loving Him back by loving each other. Filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with. Letting what's inside come out by knowing and believing it's in there. And not worrying about anything else!