Resist: To withstand the force or effect of something. To exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat. To fight against or try to stop or prevent. To prevent yourself from doing something that you want to do. To remain strong against the force or effect of something.
This is a very very important word for us in our fight against the temptation to sin. We must resist, resist, resist. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did. He resisted to the point of sweating blood (Hebrews 12:4). How hard are you resisting?As I look at the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I think we can learn a lot about the biblical understanding of resist. Did you know that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is considered the gentle art, and the only martial art where you can submit your opponent from your back? To become proficient at this martial arts form, to become a master, it takes somewhere between 8 to 12 years. This is a submission based martial arts form, where you win by your opponent “tapping out,” submitting to your pressure. To win you have to actively resist another persons submission attempts as well as strategically apply your own submission attempts that they are equally trying to resist. To get proficient at this endeavor you will have submitted and been submitted thousands of times. That is a lot of resistance, but that resistance is the absolute key ingredient to developing this discipline. You will not grow, will not improve, will not mature your jiu jitsu prowess without this consistent resistance.
We will not mature, we will not grow in our walk with Christ without this consistent resistance to sin. This is key to becoming an effective, diligent disciple. If we are submitted, we confess, ask for forgiveness, stand up, learn from that submission, don’t put ourselves in that position again, and be ready to resist the next opponent. If you find yourself on your back, reach up, pull that opponent close and choke that temptation out, stand up and get ready to resist again. Resist, resist, resist.
I love You God. I trust You God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank You God.
—Robin
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