09/08/2026
Rev. David King Onuoha | EMANCIPATION CHAPEL | SUN, 9TH AUG, 2026.
TOPIC: RESISTING THE DEVIL.
TEXT: Jas 4:7-8; 1 Pet 5:8-9.
THINGS TO DO TO EFFECTIVELY RESIST THE DEVIL.
* Submit to God.
* Draw near to God.
* Cleanse yourselves from contaminations.
* Be sober. (Serious).
* Be vigilant. (Watchful).
* Knowledge of the nature of the enemy you have; an enemy who doesn’t give up. (An adversary).
When you do the above;
* The devil will flee from you.
* God will draw near to us.
- Satan is not a lion, but he roars like one in order to frighten those he seeks to devour. Fear means death in the realm of the spirit, therefore the devil roars to intimidate you with fear so that you can’t resist him in faith.
- You cannot resist the devil effectively over anything or in any area you’ve not completely surrendered to God. You can be born again, and yet, you’re still struggling to surrender some areas of your life to God completely. For example, if you are not willing to give, you can’t be delivered from the spirit of poverty because you are breaking the rule for financial prosperity. (Lk 6:38). This is because you are not a good steward of the resources God has given to you. (Lk 16:10; Gen 12:2). You are blessed materially and financially to be a blessing to the kingdom and to others.
* Anything you’re not willing to surrender to God will become your most vulnerable area for the devil’s attacks.
* The devil will always flee from everything you’ve completely surrendered to God; and what you don’t surrender to God will eventually control you.
* You cannot effectively resist the devil if he has a legal ground against you. (Jn 14:30).
* If you want freedom, but you are still compromising, and feeding your carnal desires, you are fighting against the spirit of liberty, and the devil will resist your deliverance. (1 Cor 3:17).
- To be able to resist the devil steadfastly in your faith, you must abide in Christ and in His word. (John 15:5,7. You are to decide whether to abide - stay, or remain in Christ, and in His word. This is why Col 3:16 admonished us, “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” You resist the devil with the word of God, which is the only offensive weapon of our spiritual warfare mentioned in Eph 6:10-17; it is called “the sword of the Spirit.” The Lord Jesus Christ resisted Satan when he came to tempt Him with the written word of God. The word became a sword in His mouth as He quoted it to the devil. (Matt 4:1-11).
- In conclusion, the battlefield for our spiritual warfare is the mind. The devil plays a mind game and builds a stronghold with every thought you allow to dominate your mind. (2Cor 10:4-5). This is why you must resist him steadfastly in faith and by the written word of God; the shield of faith (defensive) and the sword of the spirit (offensive).
(John 15:7-8; Prov 4:20-22, 1Jn 5:4), indicates that you can receive any miracle from God If you:
* Submit and draw near to God.
* Are watchful and careful about the way you live.
* Resist the devil firmly and consistently by faith in the name of Jesus.
* Abide in Christ and allow the word of God to control you.
* Pay attention to the teachings you are receiving from the word of God. (Lk 5:15).
* Focus on the word despite what is happening around you or in the world.
* Renew your mind by meditating on it daily as a habit. (Jos 1:8).
* Confess and declare what the word says as a testimony that you believe. (2Cor 4:13).
* Accept free, Rely, Act on, and Live the word.
Prov 18:21. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Stop talking about what the devil has done, or is doing!
Stop talking about what you see, feel or hear physically.
Stand on what the word of God says about who you are in Christ.
Change your wrong mindset about the devil and stop seeing him as powerful; see satan as a defeated enemy.
Pray these prayers.
* Every satanic garrison monitoring my life, family, ministry/business or my destiny, be pulled down now, in the name of Jesus.
* Every door of satanic invasion into my life, be closed now by the blood of Jesus, in the name of Jesus.