One of the most effective strategies that Satan has is getting us to be inconsistent when it comes to our Christianity.  Finishing the race is much harder than beginning it.  As Christians, we must develop a stubborn heart when it comes to serving God.  It must be our fixed purpose to follow Jesus every day.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)
⁵⁸  Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The Greek word for “steadfast” means “to sit.”  It is to demonstrate a stubborn will when it comes down to doing what is right and pleasing to God.  To be steadfast is to have a determined purpose to not be swayed by the fiery darts of the devil.  To be immovable is to be firm and persistent spiritually.  This is needed because Satan never rests.

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
⁸  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

In Job 1:7, God asked Satan, “From where have you come?”  Do you remember his response?  He said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”  This is just what Peter said the devil does.  What is he doing walking up and down on the earth?  He is looking for prey.  When he comes our way, how will he find us?  Will we be easy for him to catch and devour, or will we put up resistance because of our unmoving determination to serve God and do what is right?

In one of the later Star Trek series (The Next Generation), the crew of the USS Enterprise had several confrontations with a fierce enemy called the Borg.  When overtaken by them, the Borg would utter the dreaded words, “resistance is futile.”  Well, that may have been the case with the Borg most of the time, but it is never the case with Satan.  While he is not an enemy to take lightly, we can defeat him whenever he attacks by merely putting up resistance.

James 4:7 (ESV)
⁷  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

How do we resist the devil?  James tells us—we must submit ourselves to God.  This is where our steadfastness comes into play.  We must be consistent in our obedience to our heavenly Father.  Jesus refers to this as abiding in Him.

John 15:4-5 (ESV)
⁴  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

We abide in Christ by allowing His words to abide in us and living by them.  When we do that, Jesus promises us that we will be successful and bear much fruit.  To abide means to continue in a permanent state.  This is the key to defeating the devil. Sporadic obedience will not help us very much, but a constant and continuous service will.  When we do this, the devil knows he is defeated.

Be a consistent Christian.  Yes, we all sin from time to time, but we do not have to live in it.  We can overcome Satan, sin, and the world, but being steadfast and immovable is essential.  Only then will we abound in the Lord.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.