Resisting the Enemy, episode 170

0:00 If you love a prodigal, you can discover help and hope for your wilderness journey right here at the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. And also help and hope for your own life journey. And as always, I encourage you, if something strikes you that you want to remember or to take action on, you should jot that down. It's so easy to forget. So has spring been a good time with your prodigal? Has warmer weather and new life for flowers and trees brought attitudes, better attitudes for your prodigal and you? Or have the challenges continued or grown worse even? Loving a prodigal can be like a roller coaster. The ups and the downs, the unexpected turns, the dashed hopes. I've been there, both on a roller coaster and with our prodigal. It can be very much like a roller coaster. In our last episode, we looked at our persistent enemy, a roaring lion we know as Satan. This week, we'll look at what an opportunist he is and ways that we can resist him. Not long ago, I spoke to a small group of women about spiritual warfare.

1:25 We who follow Christ have an enemy, and he is wily and tricky. And when I speak about this reality, it always becomes real. It's like Satan or his emissaries hear me talking about them, and so they come on the attack. Why am I surprised? I thought we were past the prodigal time, that our prodigal had learned well and was consistently making better choices, showing greater maturity and stability, and I had hope for a good future. Then, several years ago, he crashed again. Hard things happened, pain seared, despair overcame.

2:14 Old patterns and bad choices returned. It felt like we had reverted five years or more. And the downtime, his depression from this, lasted about a year. And I was really tired of it. I thought we were out of it, and it came back again. So why am I surprised? It happens to me as well, though not on such a destructive scale. You see, I have an addiction to sugar. especially in the form of ice cream or cookies. My body and health are affected by too much sugar. Many times I make commitments to myself and to God to limit my sugar intake. When I was speaking a while ago, they offered large, luscious cookies for dessert. I resisted. Then someone brought a whole plate of cookies to our table and left it there.

3:14 That's as far as I got. I had not one, but two. Now, no, this is not the worst trick the evil one plays on me, but it's a day -to -day real and significant one for my life. So why am I surprised the evil one is after me as well? Even on a recent trip down to Miami with one of my co -workers, it bore evidence that our enemy was after us. Our online map, which this was a while ago, and so they weren't quite as dependable. But three times it took us to the wrong place.

3:55 And I think the reason was that the devil knew that I was going to talk about him. And perhaps he thought he could waylay us and that we would never get there. We all have an enemy, an enemy that is after us as well as those we love. We're told in 1 Peter 5, be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. John tells us the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. He is wily and smart. He and his helpers Study each one of us. I'm sure there's someone assigned to each of us, maybe many for some. He studies each of us to know the right temptation, the most likely to succeed stumbling block, the best time to attack. Again, why should we be surprised?

5:00 He did it to our Lord even. When he followed Jesus into the wilderness, where Jesus was fasting for 40 days. The devil was intent on destruction. He was clever. He waited until Jesus was weak from hunger and thirst. He used the Father's own words, quoting Scripture repeatedly. He offered Jesus shortcuts, an easier way to what was already to be his, power and authority and immortality. Jesus, of course, was not deceived. He saw through the devil's schemes and he refused Satan's offers.

5:47 Satan left, not defeated yet, as he planned to return at a more opportune time. There it is again. He's an opportunist. He's willing to stop for a while and pick up again at a more opportune time. He's always looking for the right time. The devil is ever vigilant to capture our loved ones, to regain the advantage, to remind them of the pleasures of sin, to woo them back into places they have left. He watches for an opportune time. We have some clear instructions from the Lord. In James 4, 7, we read, Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We can pray that our prodigals will remember the teaching they have received and resist the devil themselves. But often, they will not be in a place to do that. We have an enemy, and that enemy is after those we love.

6:57 So we, those who love them, and pray for them, must stand in the gap. We must pray on their behalf. We ask God to be their strong defender, and we must personally make sure we are resisting the devil and his temptations directed at us. We can walk with Christ in humility and holiness and in the power of the Holy Spirit, so we have supernatural resources to resist the devil. and his temptations that are directed at us. All that we ask God to do for us, we also pray on behalf of our loved ones. So I'm going to go through here some ways to resist the devil, but we're praying it for ourselves so that we can stand in the gap, so that we can respond well to the Lord, but so we also have the resources to go to the Lord on behalf of our loved ones.

7:58 We must personally make sure we're resisting the devil and his temptations directed at us. We must walk with Christ in humility and holiness and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We must stand firm then, always wearing the full armor of God, so we can stand against the devil's schemes. But how do we do that? How do you resist the devil? I'm going to give you four simple but practical ways to stand up against that demonic bully. Each of these could be a session of its own, but these ideas will get you started. And I encourage you, as I go through this, to think, all right, which of these can I really grab hold of and learn and grow and see God work in me?

8:53 And then prepare me better to love my loved one, my prodigal, but also prepare me better to stand in the gap on their behalf. The first way to resist the devil is to praise God. The evil one does not like to hear our God lifted up, glorified, praised. So we do just that. For Scripture tells us that God is holy. and that he's enthroned in the praises of his people. So it's like God is being honored, lifted up, shined when we are praising God. And I assure you, the evil one does not like that. And if we keep doing it, he'll leave. God's glory and greatness are revealed as we praise him. So just praising God helps others to see what he's like. What a privilege.

9:55 When you feel under attack from the evil one, you can name God's names and attributes and qualities, such as he is good and faithful and loving and merciful. He is God Almighty. He is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. He is our shepherd who cares for us and takes us to still waters to rest. And many, many more names and qualities of God that you can find in the scripture. And Satan gets out of there because he understands that those things are praising God, and he doesn't want to be a part of that. You can read aloud from Psalms that especially praise our Lord.

10:44 There are lots of them, but in a quick and easy place to go, start at Psalm 95 and go to Psalm 100. Those are all praises of God Psalms, though there are many more. You could sing the doxology, praise God from whom all blessings flow. I'm not going to sing it. You'll be glad. You can sing praise songs if you know them. I love to when no one else is around. And if you have a book of liturgy from a church that you attend, you can read aloud from the liturgy because, again, it's lifting up our God, and Satan runs from that. That's one way to resist him. Another way, and this is a little different, but very important, and that's to thank God in... all things. Now, I didn't say for all things. I said in all things. In the hardest time, when something terrible is going on with your loved one, or you have no idea what's going on with your loved one, or there's been a disaster, anything, anything, God says, give thanks in all things. Personally, for me, Giving thanks in all things has probably been the most life -changing way of life practice that I have learned. I have learned, no matter

12:15 what happens, to give thanks. My son, in the early days of his really coming strongly toward the Lord, was actually doing well and making good progress at a job. trimmed down a huge, big, long bush that needed trimming. And so he's going back and forth with his chainsaw, and all of a sudden the fence behind it caught the chainsaw and kicked it back, and it hit Josh right in the forehead and down his face. He has a nice Harry Potter scar now. But the first thing he did was call 911. He was pretty sure he was going to need them. The second thing he did, because he heard me saying it all the time, he said, thank you, Lord. And when he told me that, I cried and laughed at the same time to think that that had worn into him. He'd really captured that you need to give thanks, no matter what it is. Not for it, but thanks that God is there, and he can do good things in spite of it. rescue you, and he can help you. It's been a wonderful thing that I have learned that has stood me in great stead in many hard situations. But Satan doesn't quit still, and he'll confront or attack.

13:46 He'll come after us, just like he did then with Josh. And giving thanks rescues me and him over and over. When I give thanks to God in these kind of situations, here's what happens. My perspective begins to change. I affirm to God that I trust him. And saying, thank you, Lord, is like handing God a key to open the door of my mind and my heart to show me what he is doing. I believe if you would begin to make that a practice, you would find. wonderful results in your life and for your son or daughter as well, or whoever your prodigal is. So we're to praise him, and we're to give thanks in everything, and we're to put on our armor. This reminds us that the real battles in life are spiritual. Yes, there are wars, and they're terrible, but Our enemy is stronger than all of those enemies. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the

15:16 evil day and having done all to stand because you are protected by the armor of God. And you can go to the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, and it lists all the parts of the armor of God that God gives us and will enable you to withstand Satan's attacks and to give thanks in all things and to give you wisdom in actions that you need to take. Sometimes I even speak the following aloud. and all your demons, you have no authority in my life. I belong to God. I'm washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus, adopted by the Father into God's family, filled and guarded by the Holy Spirit. I believe that when I speak aloud in the presence, if the devil is around trying to influence me and trying to influence my child, My son, this sends him because that's stronger than he is. We have God himself living in us.

16:33 We have Jesus himself who protects us and saves us and gives us new life. And we have the Spirit of God who will also be there to protect us and give us whatever we need. And that's the last of the four. things I'm giving you to resist the devil, and that is to walk in the Spirit. And this is even more key than giving thanks in everything. It is the ultimate means of resisting the devil to make sure I am consistently living in the power of the Holy Spirit. And that's something we can have just by asking. Putting aside our will, our desire to control our lives and say, Lord, I surrender to you and I ask you to fill me with your spirit, to give me everything I need to live a life that honors you, that is a model for my loved one and gives me the power to be beseeching you on his or her behalf. Think about it. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us as we put faith in Jesus and his sacrifice for us. He offers us so many realities and helps.

17:57 The book of John. 14 through 16 just is filled with what the Holy Spirit offers us, things like comfort and peace and wisdom and protection and many more things. Whatever you need is available to you as you let the Spirit fill you, guide you, and empower you. And I'm praying that whenever you or your loved one your loved prodigal, is attacked by our enemy, you will quickly turn to the one who is totally stronger than the devil, our God, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

18:37 And know that even though our enemy is powerful, our God is far more powerful, and he lives in us, and he will give us what we need for ourselves. and to be beseeching him, to be calling on God, to sending angels to protect them, to send a piece of metal that's flying at his head away. We never know. But God is willing to be the resistance to the evil one in us and through us. And so we are not alone in this battle. God is with us every step of the way. And I just really encourage you to take all that to heart and ask God to speak especially what it is that he wants you to learn today. It's a lot to apply all of it.

19:32 And if you go to the show notes, you're going to find some more resources. and a transcript of this message so that if you want to read again about how to resist the devil and some things there, and also some places to go to get more understanding of this, I really encourage you to check that out. And, you know, write down what you're going to do. God bless you.