Why Resistance Might Mean You’re Finally Moving in the Right Direction
A lot of people assume that if they’re truly following God, life should feel easy. But what if the hardest seasons are actually a sign that you’re finally doing something that matters? Here’s a closer look at what the book of Acts reveals about spiritual resistance, the enemy’s tactics, and how to keep rowing when the wind is against you.
Note: the first couple minutes of sound are missing
Does Difficulty Mean You’re Out of God’s Will?
It’s a common assumption: if things are going wrong, maybe God isn’t in it. But that thinking can lead you to quit right when you’re supposed to keep going.
The wind in your face isn’t always a sign you’re going the wrong way. Sometimes it’s a sign that you’re finally doing something that got the enemy’s attention.
Don’t mistake tired for defeated. Just because you can’t see how far you’ve come doesn’t mean God isn’t moving you forward. Sometimes the Christian life isn’t about how far you’ve gotten or how polished things look. Sometimes it’s about taking one more step forward, no matter how messy things are.
What Does “The Word of the Lord Prevailed” Actually Mean?
Acts 19:20 says, “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” That’s battle language. And it’s worth asking: what exactly prevailed?
John 1:1 gives us the answer: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” – John 1:1-5
The Word isn’t a thing. It’s a person. Jesus had grown and prevailed in that city. The real question worth sitting with is this: Has Jesus prevailed in your home? In your workplace? In your circle?
How Do You Know When the Holy Spirit Is Leading You?
In Acts 19:21, Paul “purposed in the Spirit” to move on toward Macedonia, then Jerusalem, then Rome. He didn’t pull out a map and run the numbers. Something stirred inside of him, and he listened.
The Spirit is always moving. He’s always leading and nudging. The question isn’t whether He’s speaking. The question is whether you’re quiet enough and close enough to actually hear it.
You can be so busy, so distracted, and so wrapped up in your own plans that the Spirit could be as loud as possible and you’d never hear a word. Paul had spent three years walking closely with God. He had learned how to listen. And when the Spirit stirred, Paul didn’t argue. He didn’t talk himself out of it. He simply said yes.
Worth noting: the Spirit was leading Paul straight toward chains and imprisonment in Jerusalem. The Spirit doesn’t always lead you toward an easy path. Sometimes He leads you straight into the hardest thing you could possibly imagine.
Why Does Trouble Show Up Right When God Starts Moving?
Look at the timing in Acts 19:23: “And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.” About what time? The very moment Paul purposed in his heart to move forward in obedience.
God is not the author of confusion. The enemy is. And almost before the ink was dry on Paul’s letter to Corinth, where he had written that very truth, confusion showed up in full force. That’s not a coincidence.
When God starts moving, when the Spirit gets somebody up off the bench, when the gospel starts winning ground, the enemy reaches for the same tool He always does: confusion and chaos. He can’t stop the gospel, so he tries to muddy it up.
What Happens When Following Jesus Starts Costing You Something?
A silversmith named Demetrius made his living crafting idols of the goddess Diana. His business had been falling off because people were getting saved and had stopped buying idols. So he called a meeting.
Here’s what’s worth noticing: Paul had been in Ephesus for three years preaching the same gospel the whole time. For three years, Demetrius didn’t say a word. What changed? The gospel got into his wallet.
That’s when the trouble started. Demetrius didn’t suddenly discover a theological disagreement. What changed was that the gospel started costing him something.
And that hits close to home. You want to know where someone’s heart really is? Watch what happens when Jesus begins to cost them something. It’s easy to follow Jesus when following Jesus is comfortable. But what happens when obedience starts costing you something? What happens when God puts His finger on something you don’t want to give up?
Demetrius didn’t have a theology problem. He had a heart problem. His livelihood and security were tied to something God was tearing down.
This isn’t really about money. Money just happened to be where God put His finger on Demetrius. For someone else, it might be pride, reputation, comfort, time, plans, relationships, or control. Because Jesus doesn’t just ask, “Will you believe Me?” He asks, “Will you follow Me?” And sometimes following Him means letting go of something you’ve been holding on to very tightly.
How Does the Enemy Use Confusion to Stop the Gospel?
Demetrius dressed up his wallet problem as a holy cause. He started with the real issue (money) but quickly pivoted to the goddess Diana so it sounded spiritual. That’s the enemy’s playbook: take a selfish problem and dress it up like it’s about God.
The result? Acts 19:32 tells us: “Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.”
The whole mob was screaming, and half of them couldn’t tell you what it was about. They just heard noise and joined in. That’s exactly what the enemy wants. He doesn’t have to convince you of anything. Sometimes he just has to get you stirred up. Once a crowd gets emotional, reason doesn’t have much room left.
Even the city clerk who broke up the riot said he couldn’t explain why they were there. The whole city turned upside down over nothing. No crime. No case. Stirred up out of thin air.
What Is a Spiritual Foothold and How Does the Enemy Get One?
1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” He’s on the prowl, hunting for a way in.
Ephesians 4:27 says, “Nor give place to the devil.” Some translations say give no foothold. A foothold is just a crack, a small opening. Like a rock climber who doesn’t need a big ledge, just one tiny crack to get a toe in. Once he has that, he can pull himself up and find the next one.
That bitterness you keep feeding? That’s a foothold. The grudge you’re holding? That’s a foothold. The sin you keep telling yourself isn’t a big deal? That’s a foothold. Once he gets his toe in, he starts to climb.
How Did Paul Stay Steady in the Middle of All That Chaos?
The whole city was in an uproar. And Paul wasn’t the one confused. He wasn’t the one screaming. He was steady right in the middle of the storm because the enemy couldn’t find a foothold in him. There was no crack. The chaos was all around him, but it wasn’t in him.
That’s the goal. To be so close to God, so full of His Spirit, so surrendered to Him, that when the enemy comes looking for a foothold, He can’t find one.
Life Application
This week, take an honest look at where the enemy might have a foothold in your life. It doesn’t have to be something dramatic. It might be a grudge you’ve been holding, a habit you’ve been excusing, a bitterness you’ve been feeding, or something God has been asking you to let go of that you keep holding on to.
Close that crack. Don’t give the enemy one more inch. Bring it to God and lay it down. And if you’re in a hard season right now, don’t mistake the wind in your face for a sign to quit. Keep rowing. God is in the boat.
Ask yourself:
- Is there something in my life that God has put His finger on that I haven’t been willing to let go of?
- Have I been so busy and distracted that I’ve stopped being quiet enough to hear the Holy Spirit leading me?
- Is there a foothold in my life, a crack I’ve left open, that the enemy has been using to stir up confusion or chaos?
- Am I following Jesus only when it’s comfortable, or am I willing to follow Him even when obedience costs me something?