usually are careful in big things so that Satan cannot succeed in his
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important, therefore, that we ask God to rebuke Satan as soon as he begins speaking so as to prevent him from even finishing his speech. We believe God will immediately rebuke him, and he will trouble us no more. A certain believer once said, "According to my opinion, I will allow Satan to finish what he wants to say, and then I will know how to answer him." This is wrong! We must not answer the Devil; we must not let him converse with us. Otherwise, we shall be like Eve who listened to the word of Satan and even answered him, thus causing enormous distresses and evils to follow. Do not be afraid of losing friendship with Satan. Do not be afraid to be too hard on him. When he comes, ask the Lord to rebuke him. This assures us of our constant victory in the Lord.
6. Do not give ground to the Enemy even in small things. We usually are careful in big things so that Satan cannot succeed in his devices: but in small things we tend to be careless, and hence we suffer defeats. Because of a thought or a word, we fall into the snares of the Devil. But if we can be faithful in small things, we will be faithful in big things. Always be watchful lest we "give place to the devil" (Eph. 4.27), but instead "give no occasion to the adversary" (1 Tim. 5.14); for without a factory the Devil is unable to manufacture any sin. If, though, we give place in our heart to the Enemy, and even though it be a tiny parcel of ground, the Devil will produce sin. We should never be negligent in the small matters of our lives. Let us realize that the Devil can, and will, penetrate the whole body through such small matters. But what are the occasions given to the Devil? These are (1) our unrighteousness, (2) our sin, and (3) our fear of him (that is to say, we do not have an active will to resist him, but are afraid of provoking his wrath by resisting). These grounds must be eliminated, or else the Enemy will never leave. I recall a story which can help to illustrate this matter. A certain traveler had set up a tent in the desert. A donkey asked the man for permission to thrust its head into the tent because it was cold outside. After a while, it asked to put its neck into the tent; later, it also asked to be allowed to place its two legs inside; and before long, its entire body was inside the