God is good and His mercy endures forever.

Power In Resistance

Many men and women have fallen because of their lack of strength to resist temptation, peer pressure, or influence. You can travel throughout history or even go back to the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and see the results when resistance is not applied in specific instances. It has been a constant rope that trips people up in their life, and in other cases -- it has ruined empires, reputations, and family names -- because of the inability to use this powerful tool. This is something that is not talked about enough. In fact, it is not discussed essentially anywhere you can look. However, the opposite seems to be encouraged plenty.

When you look at the day-and-age we live in with this pervasive free-spirit mentality, and YOLO (you only live once) mindset, it is obvious and very clear why the majority of people do not know or understand the power of resistance. This is a major impediment to people's lives. It is the very thing that is crippling societies. There are many problems that continue in the lives of people, and they do not realize many of them are due to the lack of the power or inability to resist or just say 'no.' This option has essentially left many people's minds. Just going with the flow or being convinced has become a natural move. The enemy does not want you to know how to resist because that is where your power lies. He wants you to keep living a free lifestyle — with no rules.  Living free is not being in control. Saying 'yes' to everything isn't the way to success. These are not the keys to life. Nor, are they how God wants your life to be run. God wants your life to be run with the rules, commandments, boundaries, and guidelines He has set out for you to prosper with. God wants you to be successful. ”For His delight is in the law of the LORD; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (King James Version. Psalm. 1.2). The laws that man keeps in the Lord will keep him in peace and protected. That is why there is delight in it for Man. There is delight in the law of the LORD for you too. You just have to keep the Lord’s laws in your life, and it will become a delight to you.

Resistance is one of the vital keys in life to be successful, stay protected, and keep peace. There are many secrets to success in life and resistance is one of them. It is why the Bible tells us to do this against our enemy — the devil. Now, in no way am I speaking of the inability to physically resist. I am speaking about resisting peer pressure, temptation, and spiritual forces.  This is the only resistance the Bible speaks about. So, why isn't anyone talking about this critical cog of life? The answer is, because of the outlook the media and society has embraced, which is feeding the public. As a result people continue to suffer heavy repercussions.

I am not sure if you know anyone that does not know how to say no. But, if you do, you probably know the individual usually  gets themselves in a mess or situations they do not want to be in because they do not have the courage or power to say no or resist when they have the option. Problems and binds will continue to happen until their is change. This could of been you at some point in your life. You could possibly still be struggling with it. Maybe you invested in something you didn't have the courage to say no to, or you got into a relationship you shouldn't have because you didn't stand up for what you wanted in a mate, so you ended up with someone you really didn't like. It happens to people all the time. Making decisions or going with the flow because they do not know how to resist. Not having the strength to resist or say no can be disastrous and very dangerous. Many people get DUI's or DWI's on a night they knew they should not have drank, but did not resist the pressure from friends, family, or associates, ending up in jail -- getting a stain on their record. Resistance is important. It is designed to guard your life and keep you safe. There can be very stiff consequences from an inability to resist a temptation or just simply not saying 'no.' The Bible places an emphasis on resistance because their is so much power in it.  "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (New International Version, James. 4.7). If you can drill this Bible verse into your mind and get it into your heart, and practice it daily -- your life will be successful, protected, and have peace.

'No', or 'No thank you,' is something you should be comfortable saying. It should be a part of your common vocabulary. Saying 'No' should not be foreign to you or something that is fearful for you to say to people. If you do not know how to say no, people will learn this of you and take advantage of your lack of courage to stand for what you want or believe. It is okay to say no to people. It is not only okay to say no to people, it is right to say no to people when you are not comfortable with what is being asked of you. Saying 'No' takes practice just like anything else. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days, his weapon was resistance and the word of God. Satan kept asking Jesus to do things that were unscriptural and against the kingdom of God. All Jesus did was so ‘no’ and quote scripture back to Satan. It damaged the enemy on levels he had never experienced. Jesus whipped the enemy so much in those forty days that after Satan was done trying to destroy and kill Jesus, he left him alone for three months. All by Jesus’ ability to resist temptation and quote the Word of God. 

Being able to say 'No' is letting the opposing party know that you have rules and respect for yourself. You are letting them know you have strength. Saying 'No' will give you confidence. If you do not know how to do so ask the Lord to give you the strength to say no in any situation that does not align with the destiny God has for you. Just remember -- it's a process. Just like anything else. If you take the time and practice it, you will become good at it. Wanting to say no or resist something is not a good feeling when you don't do so. It can be a debilitating feeling and constant regretful event.

Resistance is a stance. It is a position. You could actually look at the word and see that it is combining 'resist' and 'stand' together. When you resist you are taking a stand against something. So you must resist and stand firm. The word firm's definition is, "strong and sure; not soft or yielding to pressure; not subject to revision or change." Those all represent a position of strength. If you are not taught to stand for something, you will continue to fall. There is a quote that says, "if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything." This is very true. God does not want you to fall. He wants you to stand strong and win in life and defeat the enemy when he shows up. God wants to see you do what He says so you can gain the rewards of his commands and promises -- success, protection, and peace.

Not standing for anything represents the fact that you do not have any strength in your position. It means you are not exercised, and there is no strength in your legs, chest, arms, and mind to not go with the flow or go with something you do not want to do. Let's look at an example of how resistance works. If you place a barricade around a home and individuals attempt to knock it down with hammers one day and do not succeed, they may come back the next day with battering rams. When the battering rams do not work, they may try a vehicle with a battering ram on the front. Once the vehicle with the battering ram does not work, the people will come to a realization that your resistance is too strong, and they will (quit) leave you alone. This is exactly why James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." God wants you to stand strong, and not be someone who follows the crowd or cannot resist temptation or peer pressure. You will become a puppet when you cannot resist or say 'no.' The inability to not resist can make your life miserable. Many people fail in  life, not because they were not dedicated. They failed because they did not resist the distractions of the world and they became a puppet controlled by other people.

It takes strength to resist peer pressure. But you must know who you are to do so. You have to know that you are in control of your life, but if you do not learn how to resist, you will never gain control of your circumstances. You are a winner! You're a graduate. You are a great mother. A great father. You are more than a conqueror!

What most people do not know is that the enemy uses people to place people in captivity. He uses people to waste your time and distract you from the plans and blessings God has for you. Have you ever went somewhere knowing you should have stayed home but didn't because a friend or someone convinced you otherwise? That is the enemy using them to distract you. When you realize this and do what the Bible says to do you will see that your life will be in a better place. You will make sure no matter who you are talking to you will keep your rules and priorities in line. This will give you peace and continue to further you and make you grow in life. Focused people know how to say no, and say no often, because they are focused on their project, marriage, children, school, home, business, priorities, etc.

The Bible is where "all" of the secrets to life are. They are not in any other book, all at once, and in the depth and length as the Bible. Do not worry the Bible cannot be exhausted of its information when you read it. There is more in one Bible verse than you can gain from 100 books on earth.  Read the Bible daily, like it says to do in the book of Joshua. "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (New international Version, Joshua. 1.8). The Lord created the Bible for you. He cares for you. Commit to doing what it says and learn how to resist the enemy, and he will flee from you.

God Bless You.

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