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1 Peter 5:9
9 Whom [hos] resist [anthistemi] stedfast [stereos] in the faith [pistis], knowing [eido] that the same [autos] afflictions [pathema] are accomplished [epiteleo] in your [humon] brethren [adelphotes] that are in [en] the world [kosmos]. KJV-Interlinear
9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. NASB
Resist him, means resist the policies, philosophies, and views of Satan. In all the world, there are only two views of life, Gods and Satan's.
Gods view is truth, and Satan's view is not truth, or lies.
You either subscribe to one or the other. There is no third choice. There is no combination of the two which is acceptable in any situation. Lies and truth are mutually exclusive. No pretense, no emotional feelings, no logic, nothing can compromise the truths of God.
There is only one way to oppose lies, and that is with truth. There is only one way to gain possession of truth, and that is by means of the mechanism, which God designed for learning, understanding, and inculcating truth into your soul.
And the ultimate goal of learning truth is not to accomplish something that you can do, but accomplishing a level of faith, wherein you trust God completely. Daniel and Moses are two examples of people who were brought to the very edge of human helplessness and they trusted God, even fully expecting their own death, but were delivered.
And that is your defense (faith), against the lies, enticements, distractions, threats or intimidations from this world.
You are not alone in the fight for spiritual success. Every believer that has ever lived and every believer that is alive today, is a target, and is suffering from the same difficulties as you are. Most of us have financial, social, physical, or emotional stresses of one kind or another. And the world will pound you relentlessly until you quit doctrine.
We just finished our study of Job. He hung in there, despite horrendous difficulties from financial losses, from personal family losses, from health losses, from social ostracism and such.
When you cry out for the pain, giving in to the world, then the world will probably, but not necessarily, leave you alone. More likely it will just hammer you all the more. Remember, the world cares nothing for you. Like the lion roaring after its prey, when the prey gives in, it is killed and devoured. That is Satan’s policy. There is never any mercy.
But in grace, faith is never abandoned, never let down. God cares more for you than you realize. He created an entire universe just so you could see the stars at night, or be amazed by the technologies that this universe makes possible. Couldn’t He have made salvation possible with far less?
After all, most of the technology we have today, was never known to humanity for many thousands of years, and has been with us only a few decades.
Your ultimate goal is to stand before the Lord, one day in the near future, and receive His highest praise as a good and faithful servant. You accomplish this by means of advancing in, and sticking with, your spiritual growth.
Expect trouble from many sources. The world has rejected God for a very long time now. This country is slipping away from Biblical principles. Even the weather is hammering us all with bitter winter storms.
There is only one-way out of, or through, your dilemma, and that is through faith, developed by a daily diet of Bible doctrine.
And if and when you do get hammered, do not blame God, but stick with your studies, and weather the storms of life as best you can. God will be there, with solutions of one type or another.
