Resist the Devil

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. -- James 4:6-10 --

Every time we feel the Spirit drawing us to action and we deny it because we are afraid people will think that we are crazy, we are giving in to pride. I'm talking about when we see something in scripture that we feel applies to us as to action, but we are afraid to do it. The anointing of oil. Forgiving one another. Confessing our sins one to another. Requesting prayer. Covering the head. Removing objects that remind of us sin from our homes. If the ONLY reason that we hesitate to obey this calling is because we are afraid of what others would think, we are become slaves to our own pride, to the approval of men rather than of God.

Those of us with OCD especially know what it is like to be of two minds. We have the OCD mind, which insists that something is one way, and our rational mind, which insists that this cannot possibly be the case. We can find help here in this passage. We humble ourselves in the sight of God by ignoring our pride. We submit ourselves to God and resist the devil. It says that the devil will flee from us if we resist him. Again, we resist him by exerting the power of truth as is seen in Ephesians chapter 6.

I have found scripture meditation to be a very invaluable tool in resisting the devil in this manner. By filling our whole mind with scripture, any scripture at all, we are doing several things. We are crowding out any space in the mind wherein the devil could find a foothold; we are filling our whole mind with truth. We are resisting the devil by refusing to think about what he wants us to obsess over. We're not trying to fight him off, attack him, or even rationalize around him. We are simply resisting him by refusing to listen.

In scripture meditation, we are actively drawing near to God through his Word. We have the promise of scripture that if we draw near to God that He will draw near to us. Rest in the comfort that even if we cannot feel his presence, He will still draw near to us if we draw near to Him. The best method that I have found for my own personal use is to write the scripture down where you can see it, preferably on index cards or something similar, and read it over and over, committing it to memory. After the passage has been memorized, you will be able to not only recite it from memory, but will be able to visualize the card in your mind, scanning it with your mind's eye, highlighting each word in turn. In this way, I am able to fill my mind with both the image and words of the verse, and by saying it aloud, I am filling my ears with the sound of it. By filling all of my senses with the scripture, I am edging out any place where the devil can attack. Eventually, the attack will end. You have resisted the devil, and he has fled from you. As you practice over time refuting the devil's lies, either through direct scriptural confrontation against lies or by simply refusing to listen, he will turn his attack elsewhere.

Harvesting Peace: Putting Yourself Where Grace Can Touch You

[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. -- Galatians 5:17-23, KJV

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. -- Galatians 6:7-9, KJV

So many times I have heard Galatians 6:9 quoted in reference to not giving in at running about doing various ministry tasks. However, as I was reading Paul's letter to the Galatians, I noticed an underlying theme that has very little to do with persevering in works and a whole lot to do with persevering in sanctification.

Here we see Paul talking about the self-evidence of our dual nature, which is to say the co-existence of both the "flesh" and the "spirit" within one being. When the scriptures talk about the flesh, they are generally referring to the "old man", or rather, that which we were before we were reborn into the spirit. As spiritual creatures in physical bodies, how often have we felt that what we want and what we need are at war with each other, such that we can't do the things we really desire to do with our hearts?

First, we recognize within ourselves the manifestation of the flesh, and all the works thereof. As hard as we try, we cannot seem to gain victory over these behaviors that our bodies are so attached to. For OCD, or any mental illness, the hold our physical bodies have on our mind is so strong that we cannot help deny the power of the flesh on our spiritual situation.

We then see the fruits of the Spirit of God that we so desperately desire to have: love, joy, peace, patience, not being easily angered, righteousness, faith, humility, and self-control. Who wouldn't want these things? Why, even unbelievers desire most of these qualities for themselves. For those with anxiety disorders, peace is high on the list of desirable things. However, we must be quick to realize that as it is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit working within us, nothing we do will be able to muster up anything resembling true peace.

How, then, are we to live? We can't simply just throw our hands up in the air and wait for God to pour out his peace on us; if that were true, surely we would have received it. Recognizing our own helplessness isn't even enough. What then, are we to do?

Just a short paragraph later, Paul compares the situation to a farmer sowing seed. Just as Jesus compared the states of our hearts when we receive the word of God to sown seed, so Paul here compares the manifestation of spirits to fruits, and the preparation thereunto as the sowing of seed. He tells us plainly that we shouldn't be sowing dandelions and expect to harvest tomatoes from it. Whatever we put into our hearts is what we are going to grow there.

We have no power whatsoever to produce fruit -- faith, for example, is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8), just as we have no power to make a tomato seed sprout and grow into a healthy plant that also bears a useful fruit. However, we do have control over the environment into which the seed is sown, and for that matter, we have at least some measure of control over what types of seed we plant. Yes, it is true, we often have things growing in us that were planted there by other people; those have to be weeded out, which is a discussion for another time. However, for the most part, we pick and choose for ourselves what to plant and nurture in our lives.

If the word of God is planted in our hearts, but we do not choose to water it, it will not grow. If we feed our souls on muck and filth, the Spirit will not thrive within us. We simply cannot reap anything wholesome whatever from a garden that has been poisoned! The fruit is useless at best, poisonous at worst, and is altogether unfit.

However, by again and again denying the flesh to have any access to our hearts, and particularly by feeding the tender growth with the Word of God, we can indeed expect to harvest the fruits of the Spirit. It is a promise! That means that the love of God, which is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit filling us, can be ours. The joy of the Lord, the peace that passes all understanding, patience with irritating people -- all those things can be ours. The catch is, we must discipline ourselves to feed the Spirit and deny our flesh.

These past few days have been very trying for me. I struggle with consistency in any discipline, having neither example nor practice in it. Resisting the temptation to do evil, that is one thing; however, insisting that I do things which I know are good is much more difficult to maintain. I have been feeling a bit of hopelessness toward my OCD and my panic, in that I have been despairing of ever being free. But I felt as though the Word of God had a fresh draught of hope for me today: Don't give up! When the time is right, when the season is over, you WILL reap the fruit of the Spirit, if you don't give up on the work in the garden.

So, those of you fighting in your own spiritual battles, don't lose hope. Even though the days ahead look long and dreadful, and it seems as though the promises of God will never be fulfilled in you, keep on walking ahead in the faith that He IS faithful to reward those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6), and continue to starve the flesh into submission by feeding the Spirit.

The only way we are going to get the peace that is promised us is by first acknowledging that it is a gift that only the Lord can give, and then positioning ourselves in obedience in a position where we are able to receive that gift. We are never justified by obedience, but obedience places us in a posture underneath the outpouring of God's tender mercies and grace.

... and Having Done All, to Stand

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;

--Ephesians 6:10-18, KJV

The Apostle Paul knew a thing or two about spiritual warfare. He himself wrestled with a "thorn in the flesh" that he continually asked the Lord to remove.

A thorn. In his flesh.

People have argued for ages about what his thorn might have been. I present to you that the Lord inspired Paul to refrain from labeling his thorn, that all men might find encouragement in his dealing with a weakness in his flesh. He had a lot of experience fighting against the powers of darkness, and in his letter to the church at Ephesus, he illustrates the armor with which we are to clothe ourselves in order to be adequately protected against the attacks of the Devil.

In a commentary on Ephesians by the late Dr. J. Vernon McGee, he brought out something vital about the armor of ancient Rome. The girdle, or the belt, is the one piece of armor that holds the other pieces in place. Without the belt, the armor shifts, and your pants fall down! The girdle is a vital piece of armor, even though it is small and not often thought of.

So, the belt that holds the rest of the armor in place is... truth. Truth. The Word of God. The first piece of armor mentioned, the piece that holds all other pieces together is the truth. We are to use the truth to tie all other pieces of armor on, and hold them in place. It is the anchor.

The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart and other vital organs. Psalm 119:11 tells us, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." The only way to walk according to God's commandments is to know them -- by studying the scriptures and committing them to heart. So we see that, in fact, the breastplate of righteousness is, in fact, upheld by the girdle of Truth.

We should have our feet bound in the hetoimasia which comes from the gospel of peace. This Greek word is found only once in the whole of the Bible, and it is describing a state of readiness or preparedness. Our feet should be ready to run, ready to stand, readied to all purposes by being in the gospel of peace. Again, we see that another vital piece of armor, the one that keeps our feet firm from slipping and prepares us to run if necessary, is upheld by the Truth.

Above all, Paul tells us, make sure you have the shield of faith, so that you are able to not deflect the fiery darts of the wicked, but to actually put out the fire! From where does our faith come? Is it something we can work up within ourselves? No, Ephesians 2:8 tells us that our faith is a gift of God, and verse 9 of the same chapter clearly states that we cannot work it up; otherwise, we might have something to brag about. How then, can we take up the shield of faith, if we cannot manufacture faith within ourselves? By saturating ourselves in truth, in hearing the word of God. "So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Not just any word, mind you. The very rhēma of God, the words which He literally speaks. In fact, if you look at those verses in Romans just before verse 17, you'll notice that Paul tells those who are in Rome that it's all very well and good to say that people need to be believe, but how can they believe unless they have a preacher? I believe the Word of God is telling us here that the shield of faith is most readily taken up by the hearing of the preaching of the Word of God. Not just reading the Bible for yourself, but surrounding yourself in sound preaching. Saturating our mind by filling our ears with the preaching of the Word of God. So here we see that the piece of armor upon which Paul places the most emphasis, the one whereby we are able to quench the fires of the darts that are thrown at us, is again rooted in the Truth.

The helmet of salvation, which protects our head, is put on only by the faith which comes from the hearing of the Word of God. The sword of the Spirit, our only weapon, is... the Word of God.

Are you seeing a trend here?

When the enemy comes flying at you, with all the powers of darkness, what have you to protect you? The truth. What keeps our feet from slipping into a spiritual pit of captivity? The truth. What protects our heart, which scripture tells us is, above all things, a liar and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)? The truth. How do we quench those fiery darts? With the truth. Finally, with what weapon can we defend ourselves from attack? The Word of God. The Truth.

Victory in spiritual battles can only be won with the truth of the Word of God. We cannot hope to stand against the devil's attacks if we are, as Dr. J. Vernon McGee so eloquently puts it, as ignorant of the Bible as a goat grazing grass on a hillside.

The Bible is the Christian's only hope in this war. That includes the Christian with a mental illness. Especially OCD. OCD attacks our truth. You can't rationalize the fears of OCD. You can't figure them out. We KNOW our fears are irrational; that's one of the reasons they bother us so much. Yes, sometimes medications are very necessary in controlling the physical symptoms of OCD and other illnesses; sometimes you must drown out the enemy's screams before you can hear the still small rhēma of God speaking to your heart. But I present to you that the medication is only one step in the process of gaining victory; you must attack the underlying issues as well, and this can only be fully accomplished by the faithful application of scripture.

At this stage in my battle against OCD, I have to flood myself with truth. My mind has become so clouded with lies and murky thinking that I am unable to see the up from the down. I have to actively surround myself with God's Word in as many forms as are available to the believer today. Technology may have provided the devil with access to the home, but it gave the Lord access as well.

So, what am I doing right now to gain back the spoils which the enemy has stolen from me? I am seeking wise counsel that is also rooted in Biblical teaching. I choose to read scripture, bible studies, commentaries or plain good teaching from trustworthy authors instead of the fiction which I so regularly enjoy. I am avoiding most movies for the same reason. It's not that I believe they are wrong; no, right now, I am most concerned with filling my mind with truth. A healthy person can enjoy many different types of food, but a person recovering from an illness or severe wound must choose foods that will nourish the body most effectively in order to heal.

I'd like to end on this thought. You'll notice that the passage in Ephesians doesn't tell us that we will be able to use our armor to make attacks on the enemy. It tells us that we will be able to stand. In fact, Paul says to stand, withstand, or simply be strong five times in that short passage. When we are being attacked by the enemy, it is NOT our job to attack him. It is our job to defend ourselves. Which image is more victorious? The image of a man fighting against a foe, or the image of a man who, upon being attacked, stands and remains unmoved. The enemy has not budged him an inch. He is still standing just as firm as he was before the attack. Oh, he has definitely wounded the enemy -- he has a potent weapon in that sword. But the goal is to stand. Which is why the children's song is so aptly fitting for today:

"The B-I-B-L-E
Yes! That's the book for me!
I stand alone on the Word of God
The B-I-B-L-E!"

It's not that the child of God stands lonely; it's that the Bible alone is the only place upon which we can firmly stand.

Prayer Request

I have a prayer request to put before you.

A few years ago the Lord led me to a great bible study by Beth Moore (Breaking Free) which helped me tremendously in dealing with the spiritual aspects of my OCD and panic attacks, allowing me to separate the spiritual attack from the physical symptoms. I did very well for a few years, but I have had about a year or so now of spiritual dryness that seems to have sapped all of my reserves. Then, just a few weeks ago, under the direction of my nurse at my obstetrics office, I began taking a medication called Zoloft for severe chronic depression symptoms. I was apprehensive about taking the medication, but she assured me that Zoloft was safe to take during pregnancy. I was only on the medication for 4 days, because the Zoloft caused a severe serotonin imbalance, triggering the worst episodes of terror and panic I've had in years, on top of so much nausea that I lost more weight than I've gained this pregnancy, and severe headaches and disorientation. I stopped taking the medicine as soon as I realized the correlation, and within a few days, the physical symptoms had been relieved.

Unfortunately, since then, every day has been like an uphill spiritual battle, fighting off the panic and the obsessive thoughts. Additionally, because of this period of dryness, I feel as though my prayers are bouncing off of the ceiling, and "feel" no comfort from the Holy Spirit. My days are spent trying to "do what my hand finds to do" and "set my mind on things which are good, pure, etc" in an effort to stave off this suffocating flood of spiritual attack. While on the medicine, I felt as though I was drowning; now I feel as though my head is just barely above the water, and I struggle to perform even the most simple daily tasks. The Lord has brought many scriptures to my remembrance in the darkest times, but ... I just want to be able to live again, not to struggle to survive from moment to moment.

Please, if you would, intercede together on my behalf, asking for the Lord to fulfill His promise not to leave us comfortless, and that He would provide avenues by which my soul can feed -- I know that the preceding period of spiritual dryness contributed greatly to the severity of this attack.

I will not allow the devil to use my embarrassment over this issue to keep me silent; I am choosing to ask for help, to ask for those who are in Christ to come together with me and cry out before the throne of grace on my behalf -- for my deliverance. Please pray for me.