When God Closes A Door, The Devil Opens a Window

While watching CSI this week, I heard it said when God closes a door, the Devil opens a window.

That really got my wheels upstairs turning. How many times has God closed a door in my life and then I took another route to get there using the Devil's window? How many times have a let the Devil talk me into taking another road to get to the outcome I wanted?

The Devil is one sly creature. He uses what we believe God is telling us and twists it into the plan the evil one has altered. He uses experiences we have gone through to cause us guilt and pain. There is a lot of my past that I feel still haunt me. The Devil often speaks to me in subtle ways. Often, I am in my quiet time and he interrupts. When I have no outside noise going on around me, he uses the voices in my head to stir and make guilt appear. The closer I am with the Lord, the more the Devil works on me. The more battles I seem to face. The more I feel like I don't deserve the forgiveness which came from Jesus dying on the Cross.

Everyday is a struggle, a spiritual battle. I find every morning I have to continually recite Ephesians 6:12-18:

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

My husband is a very wise man. A couple of weeks ago he came in from a run. I could tell there was something on his mind so I sat waiting. A few minutes later, he began spilling his heart about how he feels that everything in life is a spiritual decision. There is spiritual warfare wrapped around and through everything. Something as simple as worrying about a situation in life is spiritual warfare. The Bible states:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Therefore, when we worry about anything, we are giving the Devil a door into our lives. Worrying will not do anything positive. It will not add a single hour to our lives (Matt. 6:27). We should place our trust in the Lord and allow Him to be our refuge (Psalm 62:8). God will take care of us. If we believe and are faithful, he will not allow us to fall (Psalm 55:22). God not only will take care of us but he will be our strength and help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). We should not worry about tomorrow because today has enough to deal with (Matthew 6:34). And finally the Lord is our comfort (Psalm 23:4) and even when we do not understand His plan, He is still in control (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When dealing with temptation, I often find strength knowing that Jesus was also tested. The Devil tried his mind tricks on Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). Through prayer and scripture, Jesus fought evil. Therefore, we must arm ourselves with scripture. We must be ready to fight. Evil is everywhere. We must daily wake praying for evil to be gone and not to enter our home. We must pray a special prayer over our husbands and children daily. It is not out of the ordinary to hear my say In the name of Jesus. Devil you have no room here in my heart, home or life. Be gone!

This week, as you encounter hard decisions, enter the work force or stay at home, pray a prayer over your family and your life that evil have no hold over you.