Give the Devil No Room
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:25-27
Probably one of the main sins that folks commit is lying. The ninth commandment states that we are not to bear false witness against our neighbor. Why do people lie? They lie mostly to avoid the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts, but the pain will subside as we accept the truth and make those adjustments, confessions, or deeds which are required to make things right. Lying may buy us some time, for a while, but the lie will eventually catch up with us resulting in an even greater, longer lasting pain. The truth always wins out eventually. Just as light overcomes darkness, truth overcomes falsehood. In the body of Christ, a lie affects all other members just like an organ of the human body that is malfunctioning affects the entire body. Lies cause division and mistrust, but truth leads to peace and harmony.
Paul also brought up the emotion of anger. It is not a sin to be angry when the cause is just, but anger becomes a sin when we don’t control it, allowing it to fester. When that happens, it becomes all about us and our rights, feelings, or reputation. We should be concerned about how our own response to situations that cause us anger reflects on the Lord. Anger causes us to do and say things that we wouldn’t ordinarily do or say. Anger becomes sin when we act inappropriately. God becomes angry with the evil that people commit, including His own people. Remember when Jesus became angry at the “moneychangers” at the temple because they were selling merchandise on sacred ground, and they were likely cheating the people who were buying animals for sacrifice. Jesus drove them out, but He did not hurt any of them (Matthew 21:13). Paul also urged believers to get over their anger quickly. Don’t carry a grudge.
Never listen to the devil, especially when angry. The devil always attacks our weakest point. If we have a “hot temper”, he will use that against us and against the Lord. Satan doesn’t care about us; he is more concerned about bringing a reproach upon Christ, and he will use the followers of Christ to try to achieve that goal. We play into the devil’s hands when we sin by way of anger or any other emotion or action which is contrary to how a believer should act as a follower of Christ. The Holy Spirit can keep us level-headed in all situations if we will only follow His lead. HIs job is to glorify Jesus Christ through believers, and He takes His job very seriously and diligently.
Paul also touched on the eighth commandment dealing with theft: “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). Stealing doesn’t just involve material items or money, but time can be stolen as well when we don’t give 100 per cent to our employers. God requires our time as well. To be given time, health, and strength from the Lord and not show Him gratitude by allowing time for quiet solitude in order to praise, pray, and hear from Him through His word is taking Him for granted. It is like stealing precious time that should be reserved for the Lord. Paul gave another reason to work for what one has, and that is to be able to help others in time of need. God blesses us in order that we can bless others and not just spend our money on ourselves. The one who is generous in helping others and giving God back a good portion of one’s income will not have to worry about meeting his or her own needs. God is generous to those who are generous. He can make 90 percent go further that we can make 100 percent go.
Next Paul tackled the speech of the Christian. They’re not just words. They have meaning, and they express what is in a person’s heart. It is particularly offensive to use God’s name or the name of Jesus Christ as curse words. These names are holy and should never be used to express surprise, disappointment, or anger. Neither are they to be used in an empty and meaningless way. Jesus is not “the Man upstairs”. He is the holy and righteous King of kings and Lord of lords. Paul also cautioned believers to not grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve Him when we ignore His promptings or warnings and do what we know we shouldn’t. No matter what we do or say that goes against what is right and good, the Holy Spirit, while grieved, is not diminished nor does He take on any guilt for our rebellion. If we do not heed His warnings, He can choose to step back and allow us to suffer the consequences, but He will not leave us. He is with us to help us. Having the Holy Spirit dwelling within is a valuable privilege that unbelievers do not have.
Lastly, Paul urged believers to put away bitterness, wrath, anger, and all those emotions that should not be representative of a Christian, but, instead, seek to be kind, tenderhearted, and people who are quick to forgive offenses and wrongs done against them. In this way, Christians will be known as people who truly follow Christ.