Ephesians 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”

The Bible warns us explicitly to not give place to the devil in our lives. We are warned to be sober and vigilant, so we are not devoured by the devil (1 Peter 5:8). If you give the devil even one tiny place in your life, he will seize the opportunity to move in and take control. The devil is always seeking a way to get his foot in the door of our lives. He has no good intentions toward anyone, and he does not even love his own. The thief [the devil] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). Satan wants to shake each of us as hard as he can to knock us out of the body of Christ and to separate us from the vine, Christ Jesus; but we must never let him succeed. You have to be careful when you feel someone has hurt you because that is when it is easy for you to give place to the devil. Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, revenge, rebellion, evil speaking, and despair are major avenues through which the devil can work his deceptions; so you have to get rid of them (Ephesians 4:31). When you get angry, keep it under control and get rid of it quickly, because if you let it stay, it will ruin you (Ephesians 4:26). Instead of letting hurt and anger get the best of you, you must forgive (Ephesians 4:32). You can resist the devil by being steadfast in the faith! Let those who think they stand take heed lest they fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).

1 JOHN 4:4 NIV “ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

This verse of the scripture is addressed to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is in you, not far off somewhere. By the Holy Spirit, God now has His dwelling place in you! You do not have to “try to reach God.” He is right there! What you need to do is to cultivate an awareness of His presence. Knowing that God lives in you, and that He loves you, should banish all fear from your life. Fear of failure should have no place. Fear of what other people think should not bother you. Fear of problems that may come up should be of no concern to you. You have God living in you! You are God’s temple, the abode of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16). God, Who is within you, is greater: Greater than any problem. Greater than any difficulty. Greater than COVID-19 and all its variants. Greater than the devil. Greater than anything you will ever face. This is the Word of God. You must embrace it and live in the precise and correct knowledge of it. You must meditate on it and speak it. You must resist any contrary thought that Satan might try to place in your mind. Always remember: God, Who is in you, is greater than anything you will ever face. The Greater One is in you!

Galatians 6:1 NLT “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”

The Bible does not teach that if a believer gets caught in sin, those who are spiritual should tell as many people as possible and kick that believer who is overcome by sin while he/she is sill down. What the Bible teaches is to help such believers get back on their feet. When we see shortcomings in others, the solution is to overwhelm them with love. We find a classic example of this in the way Jesus responded to the woman who was caught in adultery (John 8:10-11).  We want to restore those who have fallen. We want to help them get back on their feet. Some people who fall into sin do not know how to get out of the pit they are in. They do not know how to break free. That is where you and I come in. “You who are godly,” Paul said, “should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.” We also should note that the phrase “overcome by some sin” in Galatians 6:1 implies that it was not premeditated. It speaks of someone who lowered their guard and got caught, like an animal in a trap. Yes, they messed up, but it is our job to restore them. How? Gently and lovingly. Like setting a broken bone or putting a dislocated limb back into place. We should always desire to restore and not condemn a person who is caught in sin. When someone stumbles and falls spiritually, let us help them to their feet again!