Resistance Training

Is refusing to go to the gym considered resistance training? LOL. I don’t think that technically meets the definition, but it does cause the corners of my mouth to lift a bit.

One of the pastors at my church recently used resistance training as an illustration in one of his sermons on the book of Romans. As the hubby and I were discussing the idea, it made us think of the surrender vs. submit concept I wrote about in my last post.

The media tells us, and not so subtly, to give in to temptation, to surrender to our every whim. We hear and see messages like, “everything in moderation,” and “it’s just a little white lie.”

If we aren’t careful, those messages can begin to take up residence in our minds and the slope gets slippery.

What happens when we think it’s okay to just give in and surrender? Essentially, we stop doing the very thing we are called to do in Scripture. We stop resisting. We no longer stand our ground.

^{8 “}Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:8-9

Just as resistance training at the gym makes you physically stronger, resisting the devil in life makes you spiritually stronger.

When you are submitted to God and you resist the devil, he will flee from you. (James 4:7).

Think about how Jesus was able to resist the devil when He was in the wilderness. He had just received the Holy Spirit at His baptism and found Himself being tempted by the devil. (See Matt. 4).

What did Jesus do to resist the devil?

1. He used Scripture. He recited the very words of God and they were powerful!
2. He knew that He was operating out of a place of victory.

When we are facing temptation in our everyday lives, (not if, but when) we can more effectively fight it when we have tangible tools to use.

One incredibly tangible tool is the Word of God. We know what our temptations are (food, gossip, over spending, lust…). So let’s scour the Scriptures for verses that talk about those things and MEMORIZE them. Then, when we are in that moment and we have to make a choice to resist sin or surrender to it, the Holy Spirit can bring to mind the powerful Words we’ve memorized and we can speak them out.

Not only that, let’s remember that we already have victory in Jesus. Now, that’s not to say that we can sit back on our laurels. No, Scripture tells us to run the race as if to win the prize. (See 1 Cor. 9 :24). We know we will win the race, but we still have to be disciplined to run the race and run it well. That means throwing off (actively resisting) the sin that so easily entangles us.

Can I encourage you to pray through the things God wants you to resist today?  Grab your journal and write down what He reveals and then search for those things in Scripture. Biblegateway.com is a great resource. Capture some of those verses in your journal, on sticky notes or note cards so that you can begin to hide them in your heart and more effectively resist temptation.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Please comment below.

Let us go be radiant this week!