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PROGRAM D-6869
Recently I was reminded of how quickly Satan can get a foot in the door and wreak havoc. I went to the Lord asking for discernment anew and pledging to take any steps necessary to shut the door in Satan’s face.
One very common way that Satan tries to get into our lives is through wrong relationships or unbiblical counsel. In 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 we read that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.” A masquerade is a false outward show, a pretense—a mask to hide the real thing.
Think about the people who are influential in your life. Could it be that you are under the spell of a masquerader—someone who looks like a servant of righteousness? Let’s face it, not too many of us would fall for a servant of Satan who had a red suit, a pitchfork and a tail. We’d run the other direction. But we can be easily fooled by Satan’s servants dressed to look like angels of light.
Are you getting counsel or advice from a servant of Satan masquerading as an angel? I’ve often seen people led astray by the wrong counselor. You tend to trust that person and do what they suggest, and if their counsel is not biblical, you may find yourself way down the wrong path of destruction and sorrow.
How many singles have opened the door wide for Satan to move in by forming intimate relationships with some man or woman who was not a servant of God. That masquerade may look nice at the party, but when the mask comes off, you’ll discover you’ve opened the door to Satan and his power.
When Peter tried to give Jesus some advice that was not biblical, he said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). Peter was one of Jesus’ closest friends, but Satan tried to use him to get Jesus off-track. When your friends don’t have the things of God in mind, they can cause you to open the door to Satan. Like Peter, they may not even realize they are Satan’s tool, but when their counsel or advice is not according to scripture; Satan is using them to get a foot in the door.
Watch your relationships closely. We certainly don’t want to become cynical and distrustful people, but we do need to be cautious, because the wrong relationship or the wrong counsel can open the door to Satan’s disasters.
Shut the door in Satan’s face by praying that God will give you wisdom concerning all of your relationships and the counsel you are receiving.