My Question on Social Media

My Question on Social Media



My question on social media was this: “What are some things we do that ‘give place to the devil?’” I was pleased that several people responded, and I’ll give some of those shortly. 

https://www.facebook.com/connie.wohlford/posts/2651768951526931

First let’s consider what it means to “give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4: 27 NKJV).

Various Bible translations say: 

·         “nor give place to the devil.” NKJV

·         “and do not give the devil a foothold.” NIV

·         “and give no opportunity to the devil.” ESV

·         “and do not give the devil an opportunity.” NASB

·         “Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.” MSG

In Ephesians 4, Paul gives practical instructions to the Body of Christ—equipping the saints—on how to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1b NKJV).


Much sound advice is given throughout Paul’s epistle. As I read, I was drawn to verse 27, and asked myself, “What do I tend to do or not do that gives place to the devil?”


Though Paul wrote it with regard to handling anger, I wanted to consider it regarding life in general. 


To see it in the context Paul intended, look at verses 25-27: “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”


Boy oh boy, when we’re mad, its often hard not to give the devil a foothold through our thoughts, our speech, or our actions.


“The Greek word for place (topos) emphasized that believers can actually give ground in their lives to satanic control.” * 


Please ask yourself what are ways in which you give the devil a piece of your territory—a foothold—a crack in the door. 

For me, there are several situations where I’m vulnerable in this area. Just to name a couple: when I’m hurt or offended, or when I see someone taken advantage of. In such instances I need to guard my heart and watch my mouth. (Proverbs 4:23-27) 

Proverbs 4:23-27 NIV  <>  ²³Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. ²⁴Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. ²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. ²⁶Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. ²⁷Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

In the comment section below, feel free to give some of your own responses to my question.


Here are some of the answers I got from my social media question:


Kate - Hang around when people are gossiping or being rude, watching movies, media, or ads that make us question God's goodness or provision, not staying with a Sunday school class or home group for encouragement and accountability.


Johnny – For when you are angry you give a mighty foothold for the devil


Cheryle - Believe his lies. When we give in to anger or being offended or bitterness or unforgiveness...


Nancy - Self-pity and complaining.


Ellen – Gossiping.


Robert – Careless talk   


Leila – Concentrating on temporal things more than spiritual things


Odessa - No longer having the fear of the Lord. That is the beginning of wisdom and understanding and departing from evil. To do otherwise is giving a place to the devil.


Andrea - Holding on to bitterness and offense is a huge way! The root word of offense comes from the word for bait inside of a trap. If we let offense take root in our heart it will open up to all kinds of other problems where the enemy can build a stronghold.


Cheryl – Not putting on the Armor of God.


Shirley – being out of obedience.



When I posted the question a couple of days ago, it was not my intention to gather blog material, but the responses were so good I decided to share them here. Hope you found them helpful and encouraging. After all, iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17)  


Thanks for stopping by. Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

*Spirit Filled Life Bible – New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN; commentary, page 1793

Calmly Enduring (Patience)

Calmly Enduring (Patience)                    

You know what they say about patience—“watch out if you pray for patience, because then you’ll end up with lots of opportunities to need it.” 

I have really needed patience in the past few days. And it’s not because I had prayed for it recently. The need for it just came. Matter of fact, I was lambasted with a need for patience. 

My 1941 dictionary defines the noun, patience, as “the quality of being patient or calmly enduring.” * Google’s online dictionary adds, to “suffer without getting angry or upset.”

Also, a patient person is described as someone who “suffers pain, hardship, affliction, insult, etc., with calmness and equanimity; persevering; forbearing; waiting with calmness.” *

That word, equanimity, is interesting. It’s described as levelheadedness, mental calmness, and composure, especially in a difficult situation. 

I can say that, yes, I suffered emotional pain, affliction, and insult at the hands of another person and it was deliberate. The part about “calmness and equanimity,” I didn’t do so well. I think I would give myself a C-. I didn’t scream and holler or say something to the person I’d later regret (and hopefully I won’t), but I didn’t maintain mental composure either. 

I told our son, “Right now, I’m working on forgiveness.” 

He said, “That’s really tough when you’re still in the middle of the situation.”

How true. When a negative, hurtful situation is ongoing and we know we need to forgive—that we’re called to forgive—nobody said it would be easy. 

But God has not left us without help for difficult life situations that involve difficult people. We, who are followers of Jesus, have His very Spirit residing inside us. He’s there to guide us through dark places. 

We have the power of prayer to help lift us out of the snares of anger and unforgiveness. I continue in prayer for the other person as well as for myself. The thought, “but I deserve to be mad and I want to be mad,” must be worked through. It’s a process. God knows our thoughts and He knows our hearts. Kind thoughts and a pure heart are not automatic human responses—well, at least not for me. That’s why His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and His grace is sufficient in all situations (2 Corinthians 12:9). Thank You, Lord!

Each morning, I post a prayer for children on my social media. On this particular day, the prayer (written months in advance) was for patience and read: “Lord, help my children learn to patiently wait on You, knowing You readily hear their heart cries” (Psalm 40:1).

After praying that prayer for my family, I turned to Psalm 40 in my Bible and read the whole thing. I was reminded that reading and studying God’s Word is another help God has given to help us navigate tribulations. This Psalm, written by David, is subtitled, “Faith Persevering in Trial.”

After reading the entire psalm, I was encouraged and reassured that God sees and knows every minuscule detail of all our lives. I realize I need to allow my Creator to enter into my hurt and anger-filled situation and help me handle it His way. When I step back, He steps in.

David certainly knew about trials and conflicts. Here is part of what he wrote:

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.

“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. 

“He has put a new song in my mouth— praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.

“Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

“Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Psalm 40:1-5).

As we travel through dealings with difficult situations and difficult emotions, lets allow God’s ways to enter in and be our light and guide.

Prayer for Children - Connie Wohlford

His indwelling Spirit, our privilege of prayer, and His Word are provided for our benefit to help us live life in abundance. Our role is to do our part in relying on them. 

Another blessing from God in hard times is the counsel of godly people. Family, friends, small groups, and minister professionals are gifts from God who help as sounding boards, encouragers, and prayer partners. 

I’m grateful to my Creator for His provision in all things. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (NKJV). 

We usually think of this passage in relation to physical needs like food, clothing, and shelter. But it’s much more. His provision of unfailing love, amazing grace, unrelenting mercy, and unfathomable peace are provided for us in the here and now and will be intensified beyond our imaginations in God’s Eternal Kingdom. Glory be to God!  

How do you handle these kinds of situations? Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2019 Connie Wohlford 

*National Dictionary - 1941 Edition; P.F. Collier and Son Corporation, New York

May I please have the keys? –Declaring Independence

May I please have the keys?                     

                       –Declaring Independence

“May I please have the car keys?”

That question just might still be ringing in your head if you currently have or have had a teenager with a driver’s license.

When he walks out the door, car keys in hand, he experiences a new independence that was not his just a few years, months, or days ago. It’s a great feeling. Do you remember what it felt like yourself? (In my example, I’m using the male gender only because we have sons. All is the same with girls. I know that because I am one.)

That teen may try to hide the grin on his face but you can bet it’s there.

Independence! Ah, yes—master of his own destiny—in control—call his own shots! For the teenager clutching car keys, it’s a new freedom—kind of a personal declaration of independence.

With the possession of keys comes power and authority. In the case of car keys, one has power and authority over a vehicle and command over the direction in which it will go.

When we come to faith in Jesus and become His followers, He gives us keys. It’s at the point of our realization and proclamation of who He is, that He hands over to us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”  

Peter spoke right up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15-16 NKJV).

Peter nailed it—right answer!

When reading this dialogue, one can sense Jesus’ pleasure in Peter’s response. I’ve always loved what Jesus said next:

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17 NKJV).

Did you catch that? The source of the revelation that Jesus is Lord, is God Himself. 

Rest assured, the Spirit of God, helps us come to a revelation understanding of the deity of Jesus. This is why, when we pray for lost loved ones, we should ask that Holy Spirit to deal with them on a spiritual level, helping them come to their own aha moment.

When Peter gave Jesus the right answer, the Lord made a proclamation. It is upon this belief, and confidence in the identity of Jesus as the Christ, that He builds His church. Jesus said “... on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:18b-19 NKJV).

If you’re in prison, a key will unlock a door and set you free. Early in Jesus’ ministry, He declared He had come to set free those who were bound (Luke 4:18). Any of us who are in bondage to sin, oppression, addiction, anger, loneliness, guilt, fear—the list can go on and on—are given the keys of God’s Kingdom when we’re born-again. The Bible describes the Kingdom of God as righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

 

Keys also give a person authority over something. When I buy a house, I’m given the key to the house. At that point the house is mine and I’m free to live in it, decorate it, entertain guests in it and do things I may not feel comfortable doing elsewhere, like sing out loud. 

When Jesus gives us the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, we have the capability to unlock a whole new dimension in our lives. We’re then qualified to be in His family and live in His Kingdom in Heaven. 

We don’t have to wait until we get to Heaven to use the keys though, because with them, we have access to abundant life on earth. The choice is ours. We can do the things that help us access God’s abundance or we can deprive ourselves of the freedom Jesus bought on the cross, and continue in bondage and oppression.

If the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, let’s just do it! Let’s make full use of the keys our Lord has given us. If our friend has freely given us the keys to his beach-front house, why would we pay to stay in a hotel two blocks away from the beach?!

Photo by Dominik Lange - from Upsplash

The best way to utilize all the wonderful doors we can open with the keys God put in our hands is to read and study His Word. Connecting with a good Bible teaching church is essential as well, in addition to communicating with God through prayer, both by talking and listening.

Those beach house keys may open the gate to the pool, the hot tub, the closet full of beach chairs, umbrellas and toys, the dune buggy, the grill and even the free passes to the putt-putt and nearby golf course! 
Our friend’s keys may give assess to a full, exciting beach experience. But if we don’t use them we miss out on so much we could have freely enjoyed.

The keys to the Kingdom are given to every follower of Christ Jesus, so we can access our best possible and exciting life experience. We’re free from the bad stuff and can open the doors to the good stuff.

When we believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, we need to open our hand to receive the keys of the Kingdom and live a life that is free indeed.

As we celebrate freedom in the next few days here in the U.S., let’s also celebrate the freedom we have as citizens of the Kingdom of God. Both of these freedoms were attained through blood sacrifice. One great thing about our freedom through Christ is that it continues on into Eternity! Let’s choose to be FREE!  

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1 NIV).

 

From what has Jesus set you free? Your comments are welcome.

©Connie Wohlford 2016