The Prophetic Word - Day 21: If you make a place for the devil, he will take it.

“The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it."”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The apostle Paul—in discussing righteous behavior—tells the church at Ephesus something some Christians ignore at their own peril:

“and give no opportunity to the devil. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭27‬, ‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

First, please understand that certain behaviors, certain attitudes, certain ways of being and doing, provide the devil an opportunity to manifest himself in and through you, generally, by making you less resistant to temptation.

Secondly, it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. And we know that the Holy Spirit is grieved when we continue to go against His leading, whether that is ignoring the inner witness of the Spirit, or transgressing God’s word.

Now, there is no exact formula to help us know when the Holy Spirit will completely stop speaking or directing in our lives. But, I don’t think that’s a gamble any of us should take with such a precious Gift. Having the Holy Spirit go silent in our lives could lead to unspeakable disaster!

Now, consider the opportunity for calamity when we allow a place for the devil, and at the same time, are grieving the Holy Spirit of God. It is in such a scenario in which the devil can gain an upper hand over you.

In our opening scripture we see the Lord warning Cain that the devil is waiting for an opportunity to cause him to sin, to cause great trouble.

In this case, we know that Cain was angry because his offering was not accepted, whereas his brother Abel’s, offering was accepted by the Lord. Sadly, we also know that the rest of the story is that Cain did not take the advice of the Lord and ended up murdering his own brother.

In speaking to Cain, the Lord tells him that he must rule over, or master, the temptation that is set before him by the enemy looking to gain an advantage over him.

This advice is for all of us. When, through whatever set of circumstances: inward forces or outer forces, we are facing a temptation to err from the leading of the Holy Spirit, we must overcome the temptation, the trap, by calling on the Holy Spirit of God within us to strengthen us and lead us righteousness. Then, we must follow His leading!

Don’t be a victim of Satan‘s efforts to weasel into your life through the temptation that comes when you have given the devil a place.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#ThePropheticWord