Resisting Temptation: Why We Fail Before We Even Start

The Overlooked Foundation of Victory

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We quote it all the time. We tell ourselves to do it. We tell others to do it.

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

It’s a go-to verse when we’re in the heat of temptation, battling sin, or feeling the pressure of spiritual warfare.

But let’s be honest—how often does it actually work?

How many times have we tried to resist temptation with all our might, only to fall right back into the very thing we swore we wouldn’t do? We fight. We strive. We promise ourselves, “I won’t do that again.” And then we do.

Why? Because we ignore the three words that come first:

“Submit to God.”

We rarely quote them. We rarely practice them. But they are the key.

Trying to Resist Without Submission