Taking Back Lost Ground
August 26, 2005
Ephesians 4:25-31 Monte T. Brown
November 3, 2007 Sunday Morning
Heart O’ the Hills
Introduction
Not long after my wife and I got married, we moved to
Oklahoma City where I went to work for Mac Signs. One
of the company products that they where well known
for were Martin houses.
Martins are a purplish black bird that consumes many
mosquitoes and other flying insects. They are a great
bird to have around you back yard.
So, How do you catch the Martins? You just have to
create the right atmosphere, and they will come. You
need to get a specific kind of birdhouse put it up on
a long pole; and then you will have purple Martins.
They will nest in our yard because you have put out a
welcome mat for them.
Many Christians have unwittingly given a place to
Satan by creating an atmosphere where he feels at
home. It’s as if they’ve put out a welcome mat for
Satan. Don’t be discouraged; you are not a helpless
victim. Satan can never take any ground that you do
not give him.
And there is a way you can remove Satan if you have
given him a place. You can take back lost ground.
Scripture
[25]Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man
truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of
another. [26]Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the
sun go down upon your wrath: [27]Neither give place
to the devil. [28]Let him that stole steal no more:
but rather let him labour, working with his hands the
thing which is good, that he may have to give to him
that needeth. [29]Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to
the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto
the hearers. [30]And grieve not the holy Spirit of
God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption. [31]Let all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away
from you, with all malice: Ephesians 4:25-31
Prayer
1.Remove Sin
Remember Satan wants an atmosphere in which he can
live comfortably, and that atmosphere is sin.
Look at Ephesians 4:25, and begin reading about some
of the sins Paul mentions specifically that make a
welcome place for the devil in your life.
Therefore, putting away lying, Let each one of you
speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of
one another. Ephesians 4:25
Lying - Paul says, Wherefore putting away lying,
speak every man truth… Satan is very comfortable in
a person who is a liar. John 8:44 calls the devil a
liar and the father of lies.
Every time you tell a lie, you are acting like the
devil; and you’ve given a place to him.
Anger - In both Ephesians 4:26 and 31, anger is
mentioned. The devil is filled with anger (see
Revelation 12:12).
And if you are an angry person, you have definitely
given Satan a beachhead and a campground in your
life.
Stealing - Verse twenty-eight says, Let him that
stole steal no more... In John 10:10, Jesus
referred to Satan as a thief. And if there’s a
spirit of thievery in your life, you’ve built Satan
a nest.
Filthy Speech - And then look in verse twenty-nine:
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your
mouth... In Ephesians 5:4, Paul adds, Neither
filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting...
Filthy speech is a haven for the devil.
Bitterness - Paul warns of bitterness.
In verse thirty-one, he admonishes, Let all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and
evil speaking, be put away from you, with all
malice
Few things will make the devil feel more at home
than bitterness.
Slander - Evil speaking is just another way of saying
slander or gossip. Satan is a slanderer. He’s even
called the accuser of our brethren in Revelation
12:10. Slander is a vicious tool Satan loves to
use.
Malice - Malice is the desire to hurt someone. Is
there somebody you want to get even with? Then, the
devil is sitting in the corner smiling. You have
given a place to him, and you need to take it back.
2. Renew Your Spirit
After the removal of sin, there must be a renewal of
your spirit. Verse twenty-four instructs us to, … put
on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness. While Satan feels at
home in sin, the Holy Spirit does not. The Holy
Spirit is just that — the Holy Spirit of God.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you
were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
Therefore, holiness makes him feel at home, but
unholiness grieves Him. Put away those things that
have caused the Holy Spirit to be grieved, so He may
feel at home in your heart.
3. Resist the Devil
Even though you’ve removed sin and invited the Holy
Spirit to come and fill you, Satan has to be evicted.
He’s not going to just walk out. James 4:7 instructs
us, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. Now, if you haven’t
submitted to God, don’t try to resist the devil.
You haven’t got what it takes. You have to resist him
in the name of Jesus. But when your heart is clean
and Christ is enthroned through the Holy Spirit, you
can say, I belong to Jesus Christ. My sin is under
His blood. There is no unconfessed, unrepented-of sin
in my life. I have enthroned Christ, and I am filled
with His Spirit.
You are trespassing on my Father’s property. In the
name of Jesus and with the authority of the Word of
God; I command you to leave. Jesus gives us power
over our enemy (Luke 10:19). But you have to learn
how to use it. It’s time God’s people took back lost
ground!
