Don’t Give the Devil an Open Door

Don’t Give the Devil an Open Door
by Don Vess

It seems the Holy Spirit is wanting to talk to us about relationships. That is because it is ‘all about relationships.’ I know that I have preached a whole series on the subject of relationships in the last couple of years. But sometimes we need to be reminded of the importance of maintaining positive relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ and as co-laborers in the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians Ch. 4 gives us a good look at what proper relationships should be like.  

First of all, Paul reminds us to “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called:

"We have received a High Calling! We should never allow ourselves to “cheapen” the calling of God to which we have been called by giving it less than our very best. We should always remember that we have “been bought with a price. 1 Cor. 18-20 NASB- Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who IS IN YOU, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your own body."

2. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Skip down to verses 20-27 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

One thing that we must constantly remind ourselves of is this one fact: THE OLD MAN IS DEAD!  Rom 6:11b NKJV ...Reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. You are not who you were. 2 Cor. 5:17. Gal 2:20 And we also must keep in mind that we are being TRANSFORMED into the image of Christ.

Eph 4:25 -27Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil…

These verses are very critical for your spiritual health!

Let me paint a picture of what often happens in relationships. Matt. 5:23-24 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice at the altar. God and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”

There are times when this happens and the person who is seeking forgiveness and reconciliation goes to the offended person and tries to reconcile the relationship.

 The offended persons will sometimes blatantly refuse to forgive or lie by saying they were not offended by the other persons actions, when in fact they were.

This is what Paul is talking about here. It is vital that we are honest with each other if we are going to have healthy relationships, especially in the body of Christ. We must speak the truth to each other and not lie to cover our true feelings.

Then Verse 26-27 Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.

The devil is an opportunistic foe. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT- Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

He is constantly looking for an opening in our lives where he can attack and do his dirty work. We need to shut every door and window and seal every place in our lives through which he can try to access us.

One of the main entry points the devil attempts to enter our lives is through relationships. If there is an unresolved issue or conflict with a loved one or friend, these can provide that entry point that the devil will use to slip in and build an offended place in our minds. If he can do that, then he can build a wall that will separate us from the people we love and need in our lives the most.

Eph. 4:27 Paul says, “Neither give place to the devil.”
The word “place” Greek- “topos”: refers to a specific, marked-off, geographical location. It carries the idea of a territory, province, region, zone, or geographical position.  It is from the word that we get the word for a topographical map. Because the word topos depicts a geographical location, this lets us know that the devil is after every region and zone of our lives- money, health, marriage, relationships, career, business, and especially our ministry. Like a lion, he is territorial and wants it all. But before the devil can do his dirty work, he must first find an opening, an entry point where can begin to unleash his plan of destruction in our lives.

We throw open the door to the devil when we:
* Refuse to let go of those old hurts and wounds.
* Refuse to acknowledge that we did wrong.
* Refuse to forgive others for their wrongdoings.
* Refuse to say “I’m Sorry” when we’re wrong.
* Refuse to lay down our “rights” for others.

When we do any of the things which are listed above, we “mark off” a place in our minds where the devil can get into our minds and bring accusation in an attempt to bring you down. We can refuse him access. We can say, “NO you’re not going to do this!”

The Scripture plainly says, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”- Rom. 8:37, and 1 Jn. 4:4 Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Paul told us, “Neither give place to the devil.” The Word makes it clear that we must choose to give not to give the devil territory. We have a choice! We can choose to give the enemy place in our minds and emotions, or we can choose to walk in the Spirit.

If we choose the “lower road” we will end up saying and doing things that we will later regret. Those regretful things are usually what swings open the door for the devil to enter and make havoc in our relationships.

I can think of times when I over-reacted to certain situations by being quick to speak in anger and allow my mouth to engage before my mind has an opportunity to react. James 1:19b NASB …let everyone be quick to HEAR, SLOW to SPEAK, and SLOW to ANGER. Proverbs 15:1 NASB- A gentle answer turns away wrath. But a harsh word stirs up anger. The NLT says it this way, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Once those words begin to flow, the door has been flung wide open and the devil is going to have a hay-day. We are then “giving place to the devil.” It is in those moments that we have a choice to “Walk in the Spirit” or “yield to the flesh.” The enemy has penetrated our thoughts, gotten into our heads, and is now poised to do his dirty work in our lives of “stealing our confidence, killing our faith, and destroying our destiny.”

As I said, the devil is an opportunist. Lucifer is the devil’s name. The word devil is like a job description. It is from the Greek word diabolos: from two compound words Dia: through, and Ballo: penetration. This tells us the devil is always looking for a place in minds where he can penetrate and bring chaos in the territory of our minds seeking to bring a wedge between individuals and the other people in our lives. His objective is to separate us from each other with his railings and accusations and slanderous words.

You’ll know when it happens because your whole perspective about the person you are upset with suddenly changes. You become nit-picky, negative, and fault-finding. You may have had high regard for someone and suddenly you can’t see anything good about them at all.  

When this happens, it is clear evidence that the work of the accuser has found an opening into your relationship with the other person. He is trying to disrupt what was a pleasant and gratifying relationship in your life. Don’t allow this to happen! Don’t allow the enemy to destroy those valued relationships in your life. If you sense it beginning to happen, stop, tell yourself, “Okay I am blowing this all out of proportion.”  Recognize it for what it is. The devil is trying to get a foothold in your mind by trying to get you to accuse the other person or persons. Don’t let him do it!

Instead of focusing on all the bad points of that other person, look into your own self. Consider how many times you’ve let others down; how many mistakes you’ve made in your relationships; the times you should have been held accountable but were shown mercy. Think of the mercy that our loving heavenly Father has shown to you.

Eph. 4:32 is a perfect closer for chapter 4. It is the key to locking and sealing the door to our soul from the enemy. “...be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

PRAYER CONFESSION:
I confess that I will walk in forgiveness! Offense, bitterness, strife, and unforgiveness have no place in my life. The Spirit of God dwells in me, and I am His temple! He always convicts me of wrong attitudes that the devil could potentially use to bind me. I love Jesus and I want to please Him; therefore, I refuse to allow these destructive attitudes to remain in me. I choose to be full of mercy, long suffering, and to be slow to anger. All of these qualities will keep me safe and secure from the devil’s attempts to invade my mind and control the territory of my thinking. I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name! Amen!