THE RESISTANCE

All over the world, God is staging up a resistance that would withstand the wickedness of the devil and his agents in these last days. God is not silent about what is going on all over the world. He is not surprised either because they are the signs of the times we are in. God uses men to stand against the devices of the wicked one. Isaiah 59:19 says “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” The word standard here speaks of the resistance against the devices of the adversary. The Spirit of the Lord raises us a standard through the militant believers whom have submitted themselves to be equipped for spiritual warfare.

The Word of God tells us in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Lately, I’ve been so blessed and inspired by Evangelist Ben Cerullo’s take on this portion of Scripture which he brands ‘The Resistance’. James 4:7 speaks of both personal revival and spiritual warfare. But one comes first before the other. We must first submit ourselves to God before we can effectively carry out spiritual warfare to claim souls and territories stolen by the adversary – the devil. This is something every believer must be mindful of. The believer is a warrior. When we submit to God, resisting the devil is never a problem. In fact, when we submit to God, we not only resist the devil, we become God’s resistance against all the wiles of the devil. The Lord says to us in Jeremiah 51:20 “Thou [art] my battle axe [and] weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;” It is time for us to awake from slumber and take our place in God’s end-time agenda. It is time to stand up and take action! God wants to display His might through us to all the nations of the world.

God was speaking to Jeremiah and to us in extension when He said, in Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” God has set us over the nations. In other words, God has put us in charge of His earth to establish Divine order in it. Yes, He wants to do it through us – His battle axe! This is not the time to fret and withdraw, but the time to press on into the destiny that God has for us. This is the time to go over to the frontlines and enforce the victory of Christ over the enemy, thereby rescuing destinies from the grip of the devil. In the Kingdom we don’t fight to get the victory. No! Jesus has already won the victory for us. We fight to enforce the victory that belongs to us and choke the devil out of our way. We fight from the stand point of victory. Glory to God! 1 Cor. 15:57 says “But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It is also important that we understand the enemy we wrestle against and the weapon that has been made available to us in Christ. These are clearly spelt out in the following Scriptures: Eph. 6:10-18 tells us “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” And 2Cor. 10:3-6 further says “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” Every believer must engage in this spiritual warfare. Evangelist Ben says “you either fight or die.”

Daniel 11:32b says “but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits].” The number one key is knowing God. Not just knowing about God but know God for real, having a vital one-on-one relationship and knowledge of Him. Secondly, in order to stand firm before and after spiritual warfare, as instructed by Jim Goll, we must have no common grounds with the enemy. Jesus says in John 14:30 “for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” God bless you!