Resist

I saw this picture on the web and thought of how I use to jump around like a ballerina. [I was by myself of course]. In public I would resist. Resist...a great word. It is used in the Scriptures a few times. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Resisting is something we are good at...Never mind, I am horrible at resisting. When there is something I want, I go for it. Unless it is dancing like a ballerina.
I remember one day setting a jar of candy on the stage during our weekly "Kids of the Kingdom" bible class. I gave a small devotion to the children about temptation and how we need to "resist" the urge to do certain things. I was going to challenge them to "resist" the candy jar for the next two hours.
Ok, I know that is not fair. That is like telling a dog to resist the food scraps you set in his dog bowl. But I wanted to see...I wanted to see the struggle and the anguish. I really wanted to hear the begging, "Pastor Mike, can we just have one piece?"
Believe it or not these selfish, me centered kids from the hood resisted. They didn't touch the jar. They pretended to walk up and sneak a piece, but everyone around urged them not to. They had a support system. We call that support system the community of saints, the Holy Christian Church.
Resistance is hard to do on your own. Yet it is possible in the company of friends. It is possible in the company of the saints. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
The second part of that passage is, "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
My struggle with resistance to sin is always conquered in the nearness of God. This nearness comes through Christ who has given us himself so that we may have life. Christ who has given selfish, and me centered people the ability to resist. May the Lord who loves you keep you in his arms, the arms of the the saints.
Resist...and if you are not resisting...maybe coming nearer to God is what you need. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:10). Lift you like a ballerina!