1 Peter 5:9 KJV
[9] “whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
How can we overcome the Devil? The answer is by resisting him. We cannot give him an inch, or he will take a mile. The Devil is not looking for a large opening when all he needs is a foothold. If he can find a small entrance into our lives, then he can destroy us.
The key to conquering him is resistance. What does this mean? It means that we must be submitted to God if we are going to resist the Devil. If we do not say “yes” to God, then we will not say “no” to the Devil. Jesus resisted Satan three times in the wilderness, being led by the Spirit and using the Word of God to defeat him. We deal with the Devil by being filled with the Spirit of God. To be filled with the Spirit also means to be filled with the Scriptures. Reading your Bible daily and yielding to the Spirit makes it easier to say no to the Devil.
Peter reminds us to resist steadfastly in the faith. He will tempt us when we are at our weakest point. That is why we cannot wait until then to decide what we will do at that moment. I believe Daniel had already made up his mind before he got to Babylon about what he would do regarding eating the meat of the king. Daniel did not wait until he got to the table to decide what to do. He had already yielded his life to God and knew that he would not defile himself.
Satan will seduce us with all sorts of temptations in this life. We must be ready to resist him, regardless of what our flesh says to us. He will tempt some with money, some with worldly pleasures, some with sexual perversion, and others with popularity or positions. The key is to make up your mind that you are going to say “no” as many times as it takes. Remember that the Devil tempted Jesus more than once. Satan did not leave because Jesus said no the first time; he just tried a different approach. When Christ refused again, he tried yet another method. It was not until the third denial that he left our Lord alone. Now, if Satan would not give up his efforts to tempt Jesus, then you know he is going to do everything in his power to tempt us repeatedly. But, if we are determined not to allow the Devil to win the battle of temptation, then the Lord will help us. We must watch, pray, and ask the Lord to deliver us from evil every day. Is the Devil tempting you in some area of your life today? If he is, then run to Jesus and seek His help.