What does “and do not give the devil a foothold” mean in Eph.4:27?
By Ron Jones ©Titus Institute 2009
Eph.4:27
The New International Version has the translation of this verse as of the “do not give the devil a foothold…”
Other versions translate the Greek word, “foothold” as “place” or “opportunity.”
The literal Greek is “place” which is a very general word in the Greek language. The verse means do not give the devil any place or opportunity to work in your life.
Satan tempts us to anger through the unbelieving world, our flesh desires to be angry. Satan wants to destroy our Christian relationships and testimony through getting us to be angry and embittered toward others. If we don’t deal with our anger Biblically, then Satan gets the opportunity he wants.
This does not mean that Satan has a “foothold” in your life that now needs to be eliminated by some kind of intercessory prayer. Paul says to get rid of this, don’t “let the sun go down on your anger” which means turn from that anger before the night comes so it doesn’t sit in your heart and mind where it can grow.
