To “Resist” Is as Important as to “Be Filled”

The subject may be one from which you have recoiled, owing to the unwholesome stress laid upon it by some, but that does not alter the truth, unmistakably revealed, that it is as much a command of God to “resist the devil” as it is to “be filled with the Spirit” and to “love one another” (James 4:7; Ephesians 5:18; John 13:34). Every believer who knows anything about the filling of the Spirit must eventually be faced with a situation which involves the necessity of resisting the devil. The surge of God’s life through us cannot continue its course unhindered without at some point bringing us definitely into contact and combat with the satanic forces that control the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 11:14).

The devil is your adversary. He will never be your friend, though he will pose as such. He will never be off duty, though there may be times when his active opposition may not be as apparent as at other times.