NEITHER GIVE PLACE TO THE DEVIL

"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.  Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.  Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring My sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." (Isaiah 43:1-7).

 

"And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Luke 10:18). 

 

Ephesians 4:27 tells us, "Neither give place to the devil."  The implication is that we already possess certain ground in the Lord that we should not give up under any circumstances.  There is territory which God has given us, and we must hold it and not surrender it to the enemy of our souls.  Jesus secured victory over Satan through the sacrifice of His own life and blood, and we enter into that victory through faith in what He finished on Calvary.  The devil can only take it from us by either convincing us that it isn't ours to begin with, and that we have no right to it, or by making us believe that we aren't strong enough to hold it.  Lies and deception is really the only weapons that he has in his arsenal.  He is the father of lies, and he knows how to wield this weapon very effectively.  After all, he was able to convince Adam and Eve to give up eternal life and their fellowship with God in the Garden, and to choose sin and disobedience instead.  If he can make his lies compelling enough for us to believe, he has done his job, and he will steal what God has given to us.

 

When Joshua stood on the plain of Jericho before assaulting that great city, the captain of the Lord's host appeared to him and said, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy." (Joshua 5:15).  Joshua went on to defeat that great walled city by simply walking around it for several days with his army, blowing trumpets, and shouting with a loud voice.  The city was already theirs before they even entered the land of Canaan, though, because God had promised it to Abraham and his seed after him.  As long as Joshua was following God's battle plan, he was standing on holy ground with the Lord, ground which God had already said belonged to Israel.  The victory was the Lord's, and Joshua was simply moving forward into that victory and claiming it as his own.

 

God told Joshua, "Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, that have I given unto you." (Joshua 1:3).  This was the Promised Land that God was referring to.  He had even defined the boundaries of that land, and said that it would belong to Israel, saying, "From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.  There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them." (Joshua 1:4-6).  The Israelites still had to have faith to walk into the land of promise - and it would not be without a fight!  There were walled cities, and armed men, and nations that were not willing to just roll over and play dead.  As long as Joshua led his people forward, however, the land became theirs - they were walking on holy ground as long as they walked with the Lord.

 

Earlier, when Moses had sent out spies to see what this Promised Land contained, most returned with reports of the obstacles that stood in their way, like giants, and strong cities; but Joshua and Caleb saw the blessings of this new land, the bountiful fruits, and the rich land.  They said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." (Numbers 13:30).

 

We, too, have a promised land stretched before us.  It isn't a physical country, but a spiritual.  "For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:14-16).  It is the Kingdom of God, a place of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost that we have been promised.  We are on holy ground if we walk with Christ.  Every place that the sole of our foot shall tread will be ours if we believe because Christ has secured it for us.  God has given us spiritual weapons that are capable of withstanding the enemy of our souls when he comes to frighten us, discourage us, and destroy our faith.  "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).  God has promised that this is possible in Christ.  He has won the victory. 

 

We must not be like the unfaithful spies who only saw the obstacles before them, and were willing to forget the promises of God out of unbelief.  Instead, let's declare with Joshua and Caleb, "Let us go up at once, and possess it."  Once we have possessed it, let's not give it up to the enemy.  It is not his, it belongs to us!  Everyone who has received Christ has been given power to become a son or daughter of God.  We must never give up the hope of our calling!

 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:10-13).