Do Not Make Room For the Devil

Today's reading: Ephesians 4-6

...And do not make room for the devil. Ephesians 4: 27 NRSV

In the midst of his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul is trying to reaffirm a sense of unity in this community of believers. He gives lots of advice in trying to deal with conflict. It is okay to be angry, Paul says, just don't let your anger last longer than a day. To do so is to make room for the devil.

In other words, if you let your anger fester too long, then the devil is going to use it for his own purposes.

I have heard not to let the sun go down on your anger toward your spouse. But Paul is talking about your church family. Anger that festers is bad in a marriage. It is worse in the church.

Give the devil an inch, and he will take a mile!

But anger is not the only thing that gives the devil some room.

What are some other ways that "Big Red" may take advantage of in your relationships with others in the church?

How can we go about filling in those gaps?

Let's begin today!

God, help us to fill in the gaps where satan may enter in our church communities. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Amelia G. Sims