"No Invitation"

"Let him that stole steal no more..." Ephesians 4:28a 

The enemy comes against us in our thought life more than in any other way. He makes "suggestions" and poses questions to make us "think" and "reason". He did this at the beginning in the garden when he asked Eve, "Did God say?" He did it with Jesus in the wilderness temptation. We can't stop him from "speaking" to us but we can "shut him up" and not give him an "invitation" to come on in.

 

When he came to Eve, she had a choice to either "shut him up" or "invite him in". We know that she invited him in. How do we give him an invitation to get into our lives? We do it by "entertaining" those thoughts, suggestions and questions he poses to us. She entertained them-- therefore, inviting him in-- and we know the end result. 

 

When he comes with his suggestions, accusations, words of fear, and condemnation you too have to make the decision to either invite him in or shut him up. We invite him in when we entertain what he says. When you dwell on the thoughts that he is planting, when you give heed to the words he is speaking, when you receive what he says then you have invited him in. Once he is in, he will try to "run the house". He will try to set up homestead. He will not want to leave either. 

 

We don't have to invite him in, we can keep him out, we can slam the door in his face. We do this by following Jesus' example. Jesus did not give place to his words, accusations and lies. He used the scriptures to "shut him up". The enemy could find nothing in Jesus-- no place to set up residence-- because Jesus did not invite him in.

 

Shut the door on the enemy by not listening to his lies, but by listening to the truth of God's word. Cast down those thoughts when they come to you, don't entertain them. Station the sword of the Spirit (God's word) beside the door to your heart and mind and use it. You have to make the decision to listen or not, to heed or not, to give place and invite him in or shut the door on him. Which will you do?

 

Have a great day. When the enemy comes, don't invite him in, but slam the door in his face by not entertaining the thoughts he is throwing at you.

 

For further reading:

John 14:30

James 4:7

Ephesians 6:17

2 Corinthians 10:5

Genesis 3:1

Matthew 4:4,7,10