“Luther said that when the devil came knocking on the door of his heart, he would send the Lord Jesus to the door. Christ would say, “Martin Luther used to live here but has moved out…I now live here.” Then, says Luther, when the devil would see the nail prints on Christ’s hands and His pierced side, he would take flight immediately.!”
Guys, I am giving you this famous Luther quote today to remind you of one thing…Keep the door closed when the enemy comes knocking. Even though sometimes he is pounding so loud it is hard to stay focused on what you are doing…keep the door closed.
Because here is what happens if you open…you expose yourself to things you know you should not…and the next time you do, you open the door just a little bit wider. Remember that in any battle, defending a position is much easier than trying to recapture it once it has fallen into the enemy’s hands.
Keep in mind this important point today, no matter what role the enemy plays in mine or your temptation, there is one fact that you must remember; God will hold you and hold me accountable for what we do, or what choices we make. Your strategy cannot be to simply blame Satan and avoid being responsible for your own actions. You and I must learn to say no to the devil, just as we saw Christ do.
Today I want to give you 4 ways to help you keep the door bolted from one of my favorite books, God’s Devil, by Erwin Lutzer. These are paraphrased so I highly recommend you pick this book up and read them for yourself.
- We must pause and give thanks for our test. Our faith will be strengthened when we see our struggles coming from the Heavenly Father. Remember, we don’t give thanks for our sin; we don’t give thanks for the devil; but we can give thanks that God has found us worthy to be tested.
- We must learn the meaning of the word “resist”. Many people think that victory over Satan should be easy. We speak Christ’s name, recite scripture and assume the temptation is gone. But the truth is, the battle with Satan is a war and is a matter of life and death and there will be casualties.
- We must be convinced that sin is always our enemy. One single act of disobedience can trap us. Remember the mouse usually does not have the luxury of having a series of experiences with traps before it is caught. Just once might be enough.
- We must use scripture against Satan as Christ did. You and I MUST be able to say to Satan, “GO, for it is written…” Such concentration blocks Satan’s attempts to confound us with his lies.
Guys, you are being pounded right now by this world. Every day there is something new and frankly, disgusting to see shown on the evening news. My word to you today is Keep the Door CLOSED and resist!
Until next time Guys…
Lutzer, Erwin. (2015) God’s Devil, Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
