In Ephesians 4:27 Paul says, “Neither give place to the Devil.” This immediately follows Paul’s word, “Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your indignation” (v. 26). According to the context, to continue in anger is to give place to the Devil. In nothing should we give any place to him. If we hold on to our anger, we are actually welcoming the Devil. But if we relinquish our anger, we close the door to the Devil and give him no place.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11 Paul says, “That we may not be taken advantage of by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his thoughts.” This verse discloses that the evil one, Satan, is behind the scenes in everything and works in everything. The Greek word translated “thoughts” here means plans, plots, devices, schemes, designs, wiles, intentions, purposes. Even in the church life Satan may be behind the scenes. As the context indicates, even a matter such as forgiving a brother may involve not only the church but also the devices of Satan. Even behind a matter such as this, Satan may be crouching, looking for a way to execute his evil plans and devour the weak ones. Therefore, we need to be aware of the subtlety of the enemy.
Satan is subtle in taking advantage of the believers. He often comes to us through someone else. When Satan came to Eve, he came in a serpent. When he came to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16 he came through Peter. However, the Lord was on the alert and realized that Satan was right in front of him. For this reason the Lord said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (v. 23). Just as Satan came to the Lord Jesus through Peter, Satan may come to us through a certain person. Therefore, we need to be on the alert and know the devices of the Devil.
The believers can overcome Satan because they are guarded by the faithful Lord from the evil one. In 2 Thessalonians 3:3 Paul says, “The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” We are guarded by eternal encouragement and good hope (2 Thes. 2:16-17). Only the eternal life can guard us from the evil one. The whole world lies in the evil one (1 John 5:19), but the divine life with which we have been born of God keeps and guards us from him (1 John 5:18, 4; 3:9). We have a part within us that has been regenerated, born of God. That part, which is actually the Lord Himself, always guards us from the evil one.
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