A friend of mine recently had an automobile accident. There was quite a bit of damage to the front, so they towed it to a garage and parked it. You know how they do. They leave it until they order parts, and they keep putting you off for days and sometimes weeks.
This car sat for just a few days before they went out to move it to begin work on it. What a surprise they found when they opened the door. A rat had gotten in and destroyed the inside! They found the damage, but they couldn’t find the rat.
They put out poison and waited. They called my friend and reported the damage; so, of course, my friend went to check out her car. As they stood looking at the inside of the car, they saw the rat just sitting between them on the pavement. It didn’t even bother to move. There was much screaming; but the rat had marked its territory, and he wouldn’t move.
The devil seems to work like this rat. He stakes out his territory, and he just won’t go away. He is no respecter of persons either. He preys on the good and the bad. He takes advantage of the slightest opportunity to sneak in and destroy.
Think about how the devil behaved in Genesis 3. He approached Eve as a serpent. He was subtle and sneaky, and Eve was completely taken in by his lies. The scripture says Eve was deceived (I Timothy 2:14 ESV).
Peter says in I Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He is shown here as a roaring lion to show his fierceness and strength.
The word, “devour” literally means, “to drink down.” It carries with it the idea of utter destruction. It is scary to think that the devil is just wandering around looking for someone to utterly destroy.
Even our anger can give opportunity for the devil to corrupt us. Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” This just means that we can’t give the devil any opportunity for working through us. We must be constantly watchful or he will work his way into our lives. He won’t be easily scared away either. Occasionally reading the Bible, going to worship, and or even good deeds won’t always send him running.
The poison didn’t seem to be enough to get rid of the rat. It wasn’t enough or it wasn’t strong enough. The plan is to take more aggressive action against the rat. The same is true with the devil. Sometimes we don’t resist strongly enough or long enough to send him on his way.
The solution to our problem can be found in scripture. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). It is a full-time job!
If you continue reading in James 4, you will read a variety of things needed to keep the devil away, but the beginning of verse 7 is the real solution. It says, “Submit to God.” Nothing will work against the devil like submitting to God.
Sandra Oliver