Resisting the Enemy from a Secure Footing
David W Palmer
(Matthew 7:24 DKJV) “Therefore, whoever hears these words of mine and does them; he will be like a wise man who built his house on the solid rock.”
Jesus is bringing to a conclusion his first round of classroom instruction for his apprentices. In it he said that hearing and doing his word provides the foundation for a successful life—one that hears and does everything covered in the whole teaching session. In particular, this includes his teaching in Matthew 6 about how to overcome the daily evil. One of his devoted trainees in that class was Peter; he later wrote:
(1 Peter 5:8–9 EMTV) “Be sober, be watchful; your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking someone he may devour. Resist him, being steadfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
And James said:
(James 4:7 EMTV) “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Finding and entering the narrow gate, staying on the constricted path of perfect love, and thus, seeking first God’s kingdom (his word and our complete trust in it) and his righteousness (his revelation and us imitating it) is our responsibility (Mat. 6:33). The temptation and pressure that tries to distract us from this is the evil we face daily; we must overcome it (Mat. 6:34). We saw in an earlier study just how evil this evil is, and who is responsible for it. We have also seen that our fight is against wicked spirits, and that primarily the battlefield is our minds.
In the passages from Peter and James, we see that God wants us to resist these evil, distracting spirits by being “steadfast” in our “faith,” and that we should “submit to God.”
The word, “steadfast,” in Peter’s statement means like a solid foundation. Jesus challenges us with the responsibility of developing a rock-solid foundation for our faith. This forms the immovable footing on which we can get the foothold we need to resist (stand against) the enemy’s onslaught. Jesus concluded his whole Sermon on the Mount by speaking about this foundation:
(Matthew 7:24–27 NLT) “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. {25} Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. {26} But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. {27} When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Jesus’s words here inspire, motivate, and empower us to build his word so solidly into our lives that it literally forms an immovable foundation for our whole existence. He says that not doing so is very unwise. Life is not a rehearsal; heaven is real but so is hell. If Jesus tells us what is wise; and if we have our complete trust in him for eternal salvation, then why would we do anything but obey him? He emphasized and illustrated this for us when speaking of Mary’s decision to sit at his feet and listen to his words:
(Luke 10:39–42 ISV) She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and kept listening to what he was saying. {40} But Martha was worrying about all the things she had to do, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, you do care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself, don’t you? Then tell her to help me.” {41} The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things. {42} But there’s only one thing you need. Mary has chosen what is better, and it is not to be taken away from her.”
Did you notice that Jesus said, “There’s only one thing you need”? Yes, only “one thing is needful” (KJV), and it’s a choice. Mary had “chosen” it; she sat down at the Lord’s feet and kept listening to what he was saying. This way, she positioned herself to build a solid foundation into her life. With that as a footing, she would then be able to get the leverage she needed to “resist the devil,” “steadfast” in her faith. This would give her the advantage in what is our responsibility; she could overcome the daily evil. (After all, this is what God eternally rewards (Rev 21:7).)
(Ephesians 6:11–13 MKJV) Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil … and having done all, to stand.
Apostle Paul says to “stand” against the enemy. If we are going to successfully make our stand against the adversary’s onslaught, we will need a dependable, secure foothold to gain the traction needed to resist him forcefully; we will need the solid footing of rock-hard revelation from God’s word on which to stand.
Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mat. 16:18 KJV) [9]. With the revealed, living Word of God so solidly built into the foundation of your life that it becomes your footing; a fresh rhema of it becomes your weapon; having your mind renewed with it, and your heart charged with its faith, you have an invincible armament, an unshakeable stance, an indomitable weapon, and a secure future. You can overcome.
Today, we have seen the preparation and foundation for successfully standing against our enemy; hear and do Jesus’s words—all of them. They are not legalistic laws, coercive oppression, or religious platitudes; they are the wisdom of the “wise man”—the one who knows how to build a lasting house. Doing as he says is living as he would. He calmed storms, walked on water, performed miracles, rose from the dead, and is demonstrably already at God’s right hand in heaven. He is now coaching, training, and discipling us to a life of similar success and fulfillment. Will you refresh your commitment to Jesus and his word today?
[9] In context, when Jesus said, “on this rock,” he was talking about receiving revelation from Father: (Mat. 16:17 NLT) Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”
