Ephesians 4:27 “Do not give the Devil a foothold.”
The context of the above verse is dealing with anger so that we don’t give the Devil the chance to make damaging inroads in our lives, but there are many other ways he can use to take us down.
A Haitian pastor illustrated the need for total commitment to Christ with this parable: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $5,000. Another man desperately wanted to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn’t afford the full asking price. After much haggling, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation – he would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door. Several years later, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner quite naturally didn’t want to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail. The Haitian pastor’s conclusion was as follows: “If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ’s habitation.”
What is your biggest weakness? Is it pornography, low self-esteem, or greed? Is it gossip, jealousy, or resentment? Is it your tongue, your eyes or your stomach? Is it money, sex or power? Don’t let the enemy stick a rotting carcass over the gateposts of your life.
Sometimes, our biggest strengths can be our greatest weakness, if we succumb to pride and complacency in that area. A famous and gifted pastor once said: “The one area the enemy will never get me is my marriage.” Sadly one night after a speaking engagement, he fell in that very area in the loneliness of his hotel.
Lord, I don’t want to leave a single peg for Satan to use against me. Help me be totally yours today. Amen!
Leave a Reply