Text- Ephesians 4:27 – “And do not give the devil a foothold”
Today is the sixth day on this series, “Do not give the devil a foothold”. My goal in this series is to help you shed off all the weight that can hinder you, in the coming year 2019, and more importantly in the glorious future that lies beyond.
In John 14:30, Jesus said to his disciples, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world comes, and has nothing in me.” What Jesus was saying here, is that there is nothing in hi that the devil can lay claim to; nothing by which he can gain access or have a foothold in His life.
Remember that Jesus was in all ways tempted like every normal man, yet through it all, He never allowed the devil to have a foothold in His life (Hebrews 4:15). This is the type of life we are called to emulate and replicate.
Beloved, does the devil have a foothold in your life? If the prince of this world comes, will he have anything in you – sin, folly, pride, offences, or bitterness? Will there be anything he can lay claim to?
Yet another thing that can give the devil a foothold in your life:
6. WICKEDNESS To be wicked simply means to be like a wick (a bundle of fibers or a loosely twisted, braided, or woven cord, tape, or tube). So then to be wicked basically means to be twisted (perverse, cruel, crooked).
According to Biblical descriptions, a wicked person is someone who has utmost disregard in his mind for justice, righteousness, and truth; wicked traits often manifest in evil thoughts and purposes.
Proverbs 6:12-15 describes to us, the state of a wicked man:
A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
Dalliance with wickedness is a certain invitation to sudden calamity. It opens the door for the devil to cause damage without remedy. Little wonder, Bible says in Proverbs 15:29 that God is far from the wicked; such that when calamity strikes, there is no help available to him.
Are there any signs of wickedness in your life? Repent of them today, lest the devil gains a foothold in your life.
PRAYER
Father, I repent from every form of wickedness today, and I ask that you please guard my heart from embracing wickedness in the Name of Jesus.