As Paul the
apostle continued to give instructions to the church members in
Ephesus, he included the idea of “speaking the truth” and
not “lying” to one another because they were “members
one of another”. He also told them to “be angry, and sin
not” as they were not to “let the sun go down upon their
wrath”. In chapter four and verse twenty-seven of his letter,
Paul added another instruction – do not “give place to the
devil” where we read:
Neither
give place to the devil.
The
verse begins, “Neither give place...” Paul began with
these words which mean “do not grant, let have, supply, furnish,
reach out, extend or present any portion or space marked off as it
were from a surrounding place like a city, village or district”.
Paul warned the Ephesians against giving away the “conditions,
stations held, opportunities, powers or occasions for acting” that
were “places” in their lives.
The
verse goes on to say, “...for the devil”. Paul continued
with a reference to “the devil” whose name literally means
“prone to slander, false accuser, calumniator and slanderer” and
metaphorically means “opposing the cause of God which may be said
to act the part of the devil or to side with him”. The Ephesians
were never to “allow” or “give an opportunity” for the
“devil” to invade their lives.
When we consider these
words of Paul, we understand his warning in this area. Peter the
apostle wrote in the book of First Peter chapter five and verse
eight, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:”
The “devil”
wants to invade our “places”,
and we are never to allow him access to do so. Many people and
ministries have been destroyed because the “devil”
was allowed a “place”
for eradication. Only by the grace of Jesus Christ through the power
of His Spirit and help of God Almighty will we be able to accomplish
this. May the Lord Jesus remind us daily to ask, “does
this give place to the devil?”,
and if it does, let us run from it with all our might.
Next
time Paul tells the Ephesians not to “steal” and
rather “labor”, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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