Defiance

Defiance (def) - open resistance; bold disobedience. What causes a defiant servant of God? Pride is usually lying somewhere underneath, and the thought "You aren't gonna get anything on me" will be a very prevalent attitude. It is good to stand by your convictions as a Christian and to stand for good and righteousness. There are times when we need to "kick against the pricks" and stand for what is right, no matter what may happen to us. What about defiance when it comes to the Word of God? You may say, "How could any Christian openly resist the Word of God?" This type of defiance usually comes in "under the radar" and takes up residence when we least expect it.

Eve was very defiant, and it began with her attraction to the forbidden fruit, and satan exploited that desire, and Eve began reasoning with the devil in Genesis 3: 1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

² “Of course, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.³ “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” ⁴ “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵ “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” ⁶ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it.

Eve was convinced it was ok to eat the fruit from the tree God had forbidden them to eat from, and when satan gave a good reason to go ahead, she ate it. At the beginning, scripture says satan asked the woman a question, and the process continued on because the woman allowed it to continue on, and she was deceived. Here, defiance against God's commands and satan's temptation led to the original sin, and her defiant heart was tricked into believing it was "just ok, nothing wrong here." When we are defiant against God's ways, it always ends up with disastrous results, and usually satan is lurking in the background somewhere.

I know some people who read God's instructions in the Word of God and it openly says do this and don't do that, and they ignore it because of one thing....defiance. Even when God says the result of their sin will ruin their lives. This open disobedience comes from a defiant heart, and that is why we pray without ceasing, study to show ourselves approved, and flee temptation at every turn. Right? If you have a defiant heart and attitude, you will ignore everything I just said because you want to do life YOUR way and not God's way. Are you moldable clay, or do you have such strong defiance against God's Word that you won't be swayed to be molded into who He wants you to be? Give your defiant heart to God before it is too late, and satan takes you down the path that will ruin your life. Don't reason with the devil, because He will bring you to a place of open disobedience, and it will all begin with your pride.

This open defiance will not stop at you; it will spread to others. Look where Eve's sin went from her eating the fruit. Genesis 3: 6 Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷ At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Adam should have said no, but the original sin was already committed when Eve ate the fruit. When a person's defiance is in full stride, there is nothing you can do to rein in that disobedience. The one who was made by God to be a helpmate ended up being the one who brought the man down. All of this was birthed in a defiant heart that did not listen to God's commands and reasoned her way into sin. God's plan was perfect and the weakness of the man and woman in the garden fell to their defiant hearts, and the rest is the result of our sin problem.

But God sent Jesus to die to pay the penalty for our sin and offers this salvation to make us right with God again. A moldable heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit will not be defiant against God again, as in the garden, because that heart seeks God and hears His voice and follows Him. Do not let satan tempt you to feed a defiant heart, but seek God through His Word and actually follow what it says. What all of it says.....

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren