Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.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- 1st Peter 1:8-9

Resist. 

It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot these days by all sorts of folks who really only understand resistance from a worldly viewpoint (2nd Corinthians 10:4). However, Christians are also told to put up a resistance (2nd Timothy 4:7). If we want to understand what the Bible tells us to resist, it’s useful to begin by defining the word. According to the Cambridge Online Dictionary resist means one of two things:

Fight against something or someone who is attacking you. 

Or:

To refuse to accept or be changed by something.

The Bible calls Christians to resist Satan and the world in both ways. Christians are told to put on their armor and go to battle against the dark forces of this world (Revelation 12:11, Ephesians 6:10-18, 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5). We are also to resist sin and being conformed to the world (Romans 12:2, Hebrews 12:1. Hebrews 12:4). There are at least five ways Christians are called to resist Satan, the world, sin and demonic forces. We should:

Resist by verbally rebuking Satan and demonic forces- 

There are two kinds of people when it comes to the whole issue of verbally rebuking Satan (or demons). There are those don’t like the idea at all. These folks will do anything sort of sin to avoid it. Conversely, there are those who really like the idea, perhaps a little too much. For those who hate the idea of verbally rebuking the enemy, it is critical we remember Christians are commanded to do what Jesus did (John 14:12, Matthew 10:2) and Jesus rebuked demonic forces routinely (Mark 9:25, Matthew 8:16, Matthew 8:28-32). For those who love the idea of rebuking demonic forces it’s critical we remember Christians are cautioned to do spiritual warfare in God’s power and not our own (Ephesians 6:10-11, Jude 1:9). That said, there are times when we must verbally exercise the spiritual authority we have over Satanic forces in Jesus Christ. This is especially important during a long period of what we sense is spiritual warfare. Long periods of spiritual warfare often involve intense trials that do not have their roots in our own foolishness, relationship troubles that seem to come out of nowhere and sometimes financial issues (Job 1:1-22). For the record:  I never verbally rebuke the enemy without taking some time to pray first.  I ALWAYS ask the Holy Spirit to give me the power, authority and prudence necessary to deal with demonic forces well. Going into a verbal skirmish with a demonic force without being prayed up, is a little bit like going into a blizzard buck naked. It is not advised under any circumstances. 

Resist by living a life of holiness and righteousness-

How we choose to live our lives is either a formidable form of spiritual warfare that draws people to Jesus or it’s the way we give Satan and his minions opportunities to create chaos in our life. Living a life of holiness is one of the powerful offensive weapons we have in this world. Holiness allows us to walk closely with the Lord. Walking closely with God prevents us from going sideways spiritually. This keeps the enemy from devouring us (Colossians 3, Ephesians 5:1-21, Philippians 1:27, Galatians 5:16, 1st Peter 5:8). 

Resist by striving for love and grace in relationships-

 Satan loves to attack God’s people through their closest relationships. An unhealthy or contentious relationship with a spouse, child, in-law or friend makes space for Satan to create friction, dissension and brokenness (Ephesians 4:26-27). This does more than simply make us uncomfortable or unhappy. Broken relationships often keep us from passing on the gospel to others. This makes the devil very happy because he knows no heathen in serving a God who lacks the power to help His people love one another (John 13:24-35).  Conversely, healthy, grace-filled, God-honoring relationships leave little room for Satan to create chaos and are one of the best ways to resist his schemes and pass on our faith to those we love most (1st Peter 4:8). 

Resist by making prayer a regular thing- 

Prayer is the engine that fuels the Christian life (Mark 14:38, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2, 1st Thessalonians 5:17). Without a continuous connection to God through prayer, we will never effectively live a holy life, acquire wisdom, lead others to Jesus or resist temptation. Without prayer anything we do as Christians will be a shadow of what it could have been with prayer. Prayer is not difficult, but it does take a certain level of self-discipline. If prayer is a struggle, ask God for the discipline necessary to pray and then start praying. Doing so, will devastate the enemies plans for your life and the lives of those you love.  

 And finally, 

Resist by spreading the word about Jesus-

The most powerful way to resist Satan (and annoy him) is to tell others what Jesus has done for you and in you. When we tell our friends and family about Jesus, we partner with the Holy Spirit to actively push back the darkness of this world. In the process we get to work with God to change lives (Philomon 1:6, 2nd Timothy 4:6, Matthew 28:18-20).  Pushing back darkness and changing destinies is the ultimate in biblical resistance.