You’ve probably heard the expression used of certain individuals who have a reputation of taking advantage of others… “Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile!” Well, I was reminded of that this morning as I read these words in the Bible… “Give no opportunity to the devil!” (Ephesians 4:27)
If you open the door just a crack that evil “father of lies,” “master of deception,” deviser of temptation and all that is evil will slip in! Then, my friend, you have a problem!
The context in Ephesians seems to point out some areas where we should be especially careful – some areas where he will take advantage of the opportunity if we give him a chance…
In the area of truthfulness…
In the area of anger…
In the area of pilfering (i.e. taking what is not ours – stealing)…
In the area of honest work (our work-ethic)…
In the area of our speech…
In the area of doing anything that would “grieve the Holy Spirit”…
And finally in the area of human relationships – the way we treat one another one another…
(I mean, read it for yourself in Ephesians 4:25-32!)
All areas (and believe me, there are more) where if you give the ol’ devil an “an inch, he’ll take a mile!”
Think I’ll put what the Bible says on a card as a reminder… Better yet, it’s short enough to memorize: “Give no opportunity to the devil!”
