Rhythms for Revival: Resist
Receiving the Holy Spirit is a rhythm of trust and surrender to God yet also a rhythm of war against the enemy of our souls.
When we begin to experience revival, the enemy will want to come after us and try to make us forget who we are and Who we belong to. He will want to distract us from remaining in Jesus and receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit.
So our next revival rhythm is RESIST. Resist the enemy.
This is a powerful rhythm to begin the new year!
Resistance builds strength. Whether exercising your body, mind, or soul in this new year - resistance will build strength.
Resistance for the body builds muscle which will strengthen your physical health.
Resistance within the mind may look like uprooting unhealthy lies you have believed for far too long and replacing them with truth. This will literally form new pathways within your brain and body and strengthen your mental and emotional health.
Resistance within your soul may look like finally standing up to the enemy in this season and saying “no” to distractions that have kept you from spending time with God - this will strengthen your spiritual health.
RESIST the enemy.
God has given us the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, our Helper, who gently guides & convicts us but the enemy will condemn us and try to draw us away from being close to God, from remaining in Him. And though the enemy will use fear at times - I have found that in our American culture, the bigger temptation the enemy uses to distract us from God is COMFORT.
In what areas of your life do you need help resisting temptation?
Where do you need to say “no” to the enemy?
Where have you been settling into a season of comfort, ease, and convenience when God is perhaps calling you to something else?
Perhaps you may not be one that identifies as being in a “wilderness” season (hard circumstances or a time of testing/trial) - but what about the wilderness of comfort? Comfortable habits, routines, food, thoughts, responses - these things that become second-nature when they are repeated over and over and over. We are lost wandering in a wilderness of our own making…resisting God’s voice instead of resisting the enemy.
Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate? Especially if feeling distant from God.
Have you wandered into a wilderness or spiritual drought of your own making by replacing God as first and only?
By not resisting the enemy but instead mindlessly falling for his lies, deceit, and numbing distractions that keep us from experiencing God’s peace and presence?
We have a choice - we can choose to walk by the Spirit and resist the enemy…
…or we can continue to wallow in our circumstances,
wallow in lies,
wallow in unhealthy habits,
wallow in comfort,
wallow in wealth,
wallow in a spiritual drought….
The enemy wants us to wallow.
But we were not made to wallow. We were made to worship.
And worshiping God means walking by the Spirit and resisting the enemy.
Movement stimulates growth.
We walk by the Spirit. We resist the enemy. And resistance builds resilience.
James 1:7 says, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Many of us are in a wilderness of our own making due to unwise, unhealthy choices because we have not chosen to resist the enemy. We have made agreements with the enemy instead of listening to the Spirit of Truth.
When we choose to ignore the Spirit of Truth and His wisdom and guidance moving us forward, we are like the Israelites who finally stood at the entrance to the Promised Land and then refused to enter. They chose fear (they focused on the giants in the land instead of God’s faithfulness, miracles, and constant provision in the desert) and they chose comfort - wallowing and wanting to stay where they were - instead of walking and moving forward with God.
Their second wilderness wandering was one of their own making - 40 years they wandered and wallowed and eventually withered away in the wasteland. That first generation of Israelites never saw the Promised Land due to their disobedience.
They chose fear over faith. They chose comfort instead of obedience.
They chose to believe the enemy’s lies instead of resisting the enemy of lies with God’s truth.
In stark contradiction to this generation of Israelites, when Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness in Matthew 4, He chose to resist the devil by rehearsing truth because He was filled with the Spirit of Truth. He remembered Who He was and Who He belonged to. He remained in submission and communion with the Holy Spirit. And the devil had to flee. Resist the devil and he will flee.
Jesus chose to resist the enemy by reciting Scripture (truth) that was hidden deep within his heart and mind.
When we receive the Holy Spirit, He will bring truth to mind because He is the Spirit of Truth.
Jesus says in John 15:26, “I will send you the Advocate, the Spirit of truth.”
And later in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.”
This is why our rhythm “Receive the Holy Spirit” comes before “Resist the enemy”.
We receive the power and presence of the Spirit of Truth so that we are empowered and equipped with truth to resist the enemy and his lies.
We step into battle with confidence and assurance knowing that the ultimate battle has already been won by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our eternity is secure therefore any battle we face on this earth has the potential to refine and reshape us into stronger, more resilient individuals. This is the truth.
But we can either choose to resist the enemy or we can choose to resist God…
One will strengthen our resolve, our character, our faith, hope, and love whereas the other will strengthen the hardness of our hearts, the bitterness of our thoughts, and slowly choke out the ability for us to experience or offer faith, hope, and love. We end up wandering, wallowing, and eventually withering away in a wilderness of our own making like the first-generation Israelites rather than experiencing a revival of God’s peace, presence, and provision within our lives as Jesus did.
After Jesus’ resistance to the enemy in the wilderness, we read in Matthew 4:11, “Then the devil went away and angels came and took care of Jesus.” Revival. And God offers us that kind of revival as well.
Where do you need to stop resisting God and His relentless love and start resisting the enemy and his relentless lies?
Paul reminds us in Romans 5:1-5:
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (NLT)
It’s time to rise up, reclaim lost territory, and resist the enemy.
Identify the lie, the comfort zone, the unhealthy habit, the indulgence turned idol, the numbing distraction…and don’t despair or wallow…but instead, rejoice! Because this means we have the opportunity to grow - to learn - to change. To be transformed for the glory of God. To worship Him instead of wallowing in our wilderness like the enemy wants.
We worship Him by laying our sin at Jesus’ feet (Release our burdens at the foot of the cross), acknowledging and accepting God’s relentless love (Remember Whose we are), spending time with Him day by day (Remain in Him), walking by His Spirit (Receive the Holy Spirit), and saying “no more” to the enemy (Resist the enemy).
Revival is possible. A new life with new habits is possible. Change is possible. Because of God’s relentless love, Jesus’ incredible work, and the Holy Spirit’s power and presence within us - there is HOPE.
Ask the Holy Spirit today where He wants to work in and through you.
Allow His clear voice of conviction access to your head and heart then move forward in His healing hands.
Invite His love, His truth, and His guidance into every area of Your life. Receive Him. Resist the enemy.
Step with the Spirit - move forward, stimulate growth, embrace freedom - for mind, body, and soul.
