DON'T GIVE THE DEVIL

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Last night I received a nice blessing.  

I don’t get to attend many recovery meetings these days, but a few weeks ago, my friend Don had asked me to be his guest at a gathering last night at Shelter Church (http://shelterchurch.tv/shelter-recovery/). And I was able to join him and about 80 others for a night of encouragement and recovery.

And while Don and his team meet each Tuesday, about once a quarter they host a dinner and get the word out.  This was one of those nights!

I sometimes forget that almost without fail, the LORD will show me or teach me something in these gatherings. And last night was no exception as "Bill" spent a few minutes chatting about this passage, Ephesians 4:27. And while he used the KJV of this verse, I kind of like the ERV a little better.  The verse is simple.  It says, “Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you.”

Chew on that a second.

Don’t give the devil a way…

That says to me that I can decide if and when I give the enemy access to me.  And sadly, more often than I would like to admit, I put out the welcome mat for him on the regular. 

Wandering thoughts.

Selfish proclivities.

Idle pursuits.  Spurgeon even said, “Idle men tempt the devil to tempt them.

Sadly, I choose to rent him space often without thinking and most certainly without remembering that if I just ‘resist’ that door shuts and he must leave. (James 4:7).

Why then if we have the “option” to entertain the enemy do we do so despite all the inevitable consequences?

GOOD question.

Yet it was interesting as last night’s lead Claudia shared her journey with crack cocaine addiction the number of times she remarked, “Even when I knew better…I kept using...”.

Friends, the truth of the matter is the enemy while relentless is also INTENSELY patient. - your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8 (TPT).

He studies us.

He knows our weak spots.  He knows the things our flesh likes because we have given him that intel.  But the good news is we can capture every…loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

And by doing that, we remove the enemy’s access and remind him that…the Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil. – 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (MSG).

So, let's both do our best to make today a "no access" day!

Have a BLESSED ONE!!!

Love all of you

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE