I recently used a chess board as an analogy of how the world around us works and how God uses our position in Christ to His advantage to hold ground. So picture this with me: Like a chessboard, you’re standing on a square holding your ground. But your opponent (the enemy) wants to move you out of his way. So how does he do that? He tries to outsmart you.
And this is how things work spiritually too. Your opponent, the devil, uses deception and distractions, often in the form of offenses and unforgiveness. And sadly, because the enemy wants to divide and conquer God’s army of believers, he uses those next to or around you. In other words, those who are on your team (your side of the board).
This is why Paul said, “Don’t give the devil any opportunity [to work]” (Ephesians 4:27, GW). The Amplified says, “Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity for him].” The New King James says, “Neither give place to the devil.”
This means we hold some of the responsibility. In other words, we are the only ones who can make room for the devil in our lives (or not).
Remember, the Bible says, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). But what do we think this means? We quote it to encourage ourselves but it’s so much more than simple encouragement. As believers, we’ve MADE ROOM in our hearts for the Spirit of God. He who dwells within us is GREATER than the lies, schemes, and tricks of the devil. But we have to intentionally stop the devil’s intrusion into our territory!
Listen, the devil knows he’s been defeated but he doesn’t want Christians to know it!
The devil loves to take advantage of our lack of knowledge to gain a foothold (2 Corinthians 2:11)— all so he can laugh at our own self-destruction. You’ve heard it said, what you don’t know can’t hurt you. But I beg to disagree… What we don’t know does hurt us (in spiritual matters).
Jesus said He has given us “authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). In the natural, the only way snakes and scorpions can hurt us is by (a) SNEAK ATTACK or (b) if we GET DOWN ON THEIR LEVEL and play with them. One is deception, the other is ignorance (also a form of deception). Either way, remember giving place to the devil is giving place to defeat.
Paul understood these things and wrote this warning to the Colossians: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. BEWARE lest anyone [or anything] cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the WORLD, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:6-8).
In other words, the devil will use anything he can to distract us from learning God’s truth. So we must be cautious of how much time we give to certain things (and certain people). If the devil can’t deceive us with evil things, he will do his best to deceive and distract us with simple (normal) things. This would include your feelings or personality. Be careful of justifying emotions. For example, don’t say, “Well that’s just how I’m wired.” Never make excuses for things that give the devil a foothold in your life.
Jesus said there are principles we must first understand before anything else will ever make sense. One of those principles is the parable of the sower (Luke 8:5-8, Mark 4:13). Number one, you need to know the seed is the Word of God, and number two, man’s heart is the soil. But not every heart is the same: Jesus gave us 4 types of heart-soil to consider.
WAYSIDE HEART
This is anyone who hears the Word of the kingdom but doesn’t understand it. The enemy’s strategy: “Some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.” YOUR STRATEGY: shoo the birds and never let anyone talk you out of faith! Kenneth Hagin said, “You can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest there!”
One of the first tricks of the devil is to immediately attack the seed (God’s Word) with doubt. His second trick is to use family, friends, and ignorant neighbors to trample your faith. We need to recognize these tricks of the enemy and protect our ground!
STONY HEART
This is one who has joy for a little while, but because they have no root system, they have short-term faith and therefore stumble too easily at persecution, tribulation, and temptations. The enemy’s strategy: “Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.” YOUR STRATEGY: move the stones and fix the path! All of us stumble occasionally but as we mature and become more seasoned, we recognize things that once caused us to fall.
When God’s Word reveals a new area in your life that needs attention, don’t ignore it. Deal with it and see that the path is good — make the adjustment! But notice the Bible says this soil lacked moisture. Spiritually, this means the “heart soil” lacked time with God, His Word, and the Holy Spirit (which is all compared to rain in the scriptures).
THORNY HEART
This is a person who’s faith is choked by cares, riches, responsibilities, and pleasures (easily distracted). The enemy’s strategy: “Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with [the seed] and choked it.” YOUR STRATEGY: pull the weeds! In other words, ask yourself, what am I allowing to grow alongside God’s Word?
When we don’t deal with past hurts, they grow in our heart alongside the seed of God’s Word but can actually choke the fruit from maturing fully. Recognize bad seeds and don’t let wrong things grow in your heart!
GOOD HEART
The Message Translation says, “These are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest” (Luke 8:15). This means you are the keeper of your heart— the soil of your heart is your responsibility. You have a choice whether or not to shoo the birds, move the stones, or pull the weeds in your life.. You are holding an important position. And you have an enemy. The truth is, you can wear him down or he will wear you down.
So in the midst of any battle, seize the Word, hold on no matter what, and stick with it until there’s a harvest!
