Set the Sail (Preparing for a Move of God) Sample

Consecrated: Fight & Resist

“Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.” - Tyler Durden, Fight Club

When we consider how Satan is portrayed in the Bible, it’s clear how destructive his work is and that he’s still actively waging war against us. He is prowling around, seeking opportunities to consume us. When we isolate ourselves and retreat, he exploits that, gradually tearing our lives apart. Our vision fades, our friendship with Jesus weakens, our integrity crumbles, and our relationships suffer.

Jesus’ mission wasn’t just about teaching a fresh perspective on the Scriptures; it was about warfare. Jesus entered a battle where the stakes were incredibly high. As 1 John 3:8 says, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." Jesus came to bring life, but He also came to destroy the works of evil. He came to fight.

The best advice I’ve received on engaging in spiritual warfare is simple but incredibly profound: 'Spiritual warfare is about living in the opposite spirit to the attack.'

This was Jesus’ strategy in His battles.

When Satan tempted Jesus to satisfy his hunger, he chose fasting. When Satan urged Jesus to throw himself down from the temple, Jesus humbled himself to wash dirty feet. When Satan offered Jesus the 'good life' of world glory, Jesus chose the path of self-sacrifice and, going to the cross.

When you feel alone and isolated, don’t withdraw. Instead, reach out to 2 or 3 people and check in. Feeling overwhelmed? Send a message of encouragement to five people right now. Struggling with temptation? Pray for others in your church to thrive in their walk with God. And do all of this with a spirit of holy resistance.

James 4:7 says: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” We must fight: for intimacy with God, for our marriages, for our children, for our communities, for integrity and against despair! This act of warfare by holy resistance is the second key way we consecrate ourselves to God in order that we might be used by Him for His holy and special purposes.

And we do this not in our own strength; but in the power of the Holy Spirit within us. As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8 this is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, and His power is available to us and for us today. Let’s live in that reality as we consecrate ourselves and set the sail to experience God’s power in and through our lives!