Without wanting to or knowing it, we can give Satan a foothold in our lives. In Joe Beam’s book “Seeing the Unseen” he lists various doors that we can open that allow Satan to enter and control us. This list includes lying, anger, stealing, slothfulness, unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, brawling, slander, every form of malice and refusing to forgive. Any of these sins can go un-noticed and without wanting to, we give Satan a foothold in our lives. Any of these traits can happen in day to day dealings with family, friends, fellow workers and acquaintances.
The item I’d like to discuss further is “Refusing to Forgive.” This open door to Satan has been my greatest challenge during the past 5 ½ years. A divorce can be one of Satan’s easiest foot holds. The only way of confronting this was to work hard at trying to forgive. This avenue for sin is talked about throughout the Gospels. Jesus had a lot to say about forgiveness. Matt. 6:14; “for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matt. 18:21: “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” The answer we all know is 70 x 7. Mark 11:25-26 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.” Luke 6:37: “Do not judge and you will note judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 17:4: “Even if they sin against you seven times a day and seven times come back saying “I repent”, you must forgive them.”
Our holding grudges and animosity enables Satan to control our lives. Sometimes we don’t realize this is happening. He continues to prowl around and finds ways of corrupting us. He can use his demons or evil people to inflict these sinful traits in our lives. He is not only controlling our lives but those of our children and friends. What do my kids see when I’m openly antagonistic and unforgiving to others? People who admire us will hopefully see that we are actually a forgiving person. If we are unable to forgive and move on, those we love the most are likely to act as we do and this sin is passed onto them. So Satan’s hit a double header- he’s got me and my kids and other family members we love.
We don’t have to like certain situations but we can still adopt an attitude of forgiveness. We have to account for ourselves before God and in doing so, if done right, we provide to those we love a good example of what Jesus would want us to do and how He wants us to act. It isn’t easy. Reading the scriptures is our basic amour for defense.
