A friend of mine was telling me that he had a roommate that recently moved away. He also shared with me that he was hoping to move someone else in so that he could offset some of his costs for the condo.

I was thinking about what a nightmare it would be for my friend if he chose the wrong roommate. Your home is supposed to be your place of rest and peace, but can you imagine what it would turn into if you had someone living there that got on your nerves all the time, or worse than that, made you nervous to go to sleep at night out of fear what they may do to you in the middle of the night?

In Ephesians 4:27 it reads

“And do not give the devil an opportunity.”

The Greek word for opportunity is literally translated “a place”. This is significant to point out because I believe many people are offering the devil a room in their life without even being aware of it.

Look at the two previous verses.

Ephesians 4:25-26
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

When we choose to lie to one another, we are not only breaking a commandment of God, we are actually giving the devil space to cause strongholds in our life. Lies can cause people to become trapped, out of fear that their lie is going to be uncovered. Being truthful with one another prevents that from happening. Besides, when we are truthful with one another, it gives us a good chance to practice acceptance. A big reason we lie to one another is because we are afraid of being rejected.

What about outbursts of anger? Can our anger really give the devil room to run amuck in our lives? Absolutely! There are many people serving life sentences in prison today because of their problem with anger. For example, in Las Vegas a few years ago, a man got angry with a woman who supposedly cut him off on the road. He was so angry that he followed her to a car wash she was going to. After she got out of her car, this man verbally assaulted her for her negligent driving. She proceeded to call her husband to tell him about this guy. Her husband showed up to the car wash and erupted with anger over this man getting ugly with his wife. The husband shoved the man in his anger. As the man fell back, he lost his balance and his head hit a propane tank. That man ended up dying because of the blow to his head. This husband, who came to his wife’s rescue, ended up going to prison. Anger gives room for the devil to wreck marriages, to devastate relations between parents and their kids, to cause someone to kill another person, and many other things that we don’t have time to mention.

The chapter goes on to talk about stealing and the use of words that are unwholesome. I think stealing is self-explanatory on how it gives room for the devil to mess things up in our lives. However, our words are a different story. People underestimate the power of the tongue. I know I have said things in the past that really messed stuff up in my marriage, in my family, and in my job. Have you ever heard the expression, “loose lips sink ships.”? Our mouths can open us up to all kinds of problems. Next time you are in a conversation with someone, ask yourself a question. What can I say to this person right now that will build them up? This is what edification means. It is the act of building. Are your words being used to build people up or tear them down?

It is hard enough to keep the devil off our back simply because we have chosen to follow Jesus, but we certainly shouldn’t help him out by offering him a room, with a Lazy Boy Chair, in our lives.

According to Paul, the author of Ephesians, the key to preventing the devil setting up a room in us is by making sure we are wearing our new self that God has provided us (v24). I look at this almost as if God gave us new clothes to wear when we got saved. By wearing the clothing He has given us, it helps us by causing us to remember who we are now. Lately, I have not been really for Christian clothing. I can think of all kinds of more effective ways to tell this world about Jesus, but maybe that is exactly what some people need to remind themselves of who they are now. Maybe the Christian shirt is more for the wearer than it is for the world. Some of you may need to go out and by a Christian t-shirt or put on a Christian bumper sticker. It is going to help you remember the new person you are. Whatever the method, you must come to a place where you can constantly remind yourself that God is real, that he lives in you, and that you are his kid. This week may you wear your new self that has been made in the likeness of God. By doing so, what you will be saying to the devil is….”Sorry, No Vacancy Here!”

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