Overcoming StrifeSample

Day 1: Give No Place to the Devil

In Ephesians 4:26-27, the Apostle Paul writes, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil.” The word “angry” here is the Greek word that depicts a silent resentment that gives way to an outburst of emotion. It is a deeply felt anger that is suddenly released; a swelling, growing, wrathful emotion that explodes in rage. Paul was warning us about rage and urging us not to let it get the best of us.

What did the apostle Paul mean by the statement “let not the sun go down upon your wrath?” The Greek word depicts a silent resentment or rage that is alongside you. You go to bed with it like it is your partner. This could be extremely troublesome if you’re married, because it means there’s going to be something between you and your spouse. That something is wrath — it is resentment, it is unforgiveness, it is rage — and it separates you from that person you love.

In Ephesians 4:27, Paul goes on to say, “Neither give place to the devil.” Notice Paul specifically says not to “give” place. The word “give” is a form of the Greek word, which means to give, to allow, or to permit, which tells us that there are things we do that give the devil permission to find a place in our relationships. This clearly shows that when we give in to anger and rage, we are really allowing the devil to have a place and opening a door for strife.

When you’re filled with rage and strife and you don’t resolve it, it literally opens a door, just as real as any door to your house, and when the door is open, the enemy finds an access point to enter your life.

You can always tell when the devil has found his opportunity, because your thinking will start to change. Rather than thinking positively about the person you love, you begin to focus on every flaw and defect in his or her personality. When strife has entered, all you see is what you don’t like about your loved one because the defamer, the slanderer, has gone to work in your mind and in your emotions to point out everything bad in that other person.

When you begin to think like this, it’s evident that the devil has found an access point into your mind and your emotions. Very often, you become ensnared, as though in a net. Think of a strife-filled moment in your life, perhaps a time when you were involved in a conversation so unpleasant that it seemed you couldn’t find your way out of it. You were ensnared because the devil had found access to that moment in your life.

When you get into a spirit of strife, you don’t think right, you don’t act right, and you don’t hear right. As a result, you can set yourself up for unnecessary difficulty. Strife becomes an entry point for the enemy to find his way into your environment, and that is why the apostle Paul encourages us not to give the devil any place in our lives.

For Your Consideration:

• Can you recall an instance when you “gave place” to anger and strife? What was the result? How did you remedy the situation, and what did you learn from it?
• Do you tend to justify the wrathful behaviors in your life? Take a moment to recognize that those moments are footholds for the devil. With this context, how might you respond differently the next time you feel strife approaching?