In the Middle East, where I grew up the first 19 years of my life, at least, generally speaking,

professional thieves do not go to rob homes or shops during the daytime.

It's always assumed that somebody is in the house in the daytime, so they don't really go around

about stealing during the day. They specialize in robbing and stealing at nighttime when people

are asleep. And even then, a thief first goes around and pushes on the doors of a shop or a home or a place where they know they can

go in and steal. Before they start picking the locks, before they start doing anything,

they just push on the door in the hope that somebody, the housekeeper or the shopkeeper,

had forgotten to lock the door.

They can get in there much easier.

That's how they operate.

And I believe this is where a lot of the biblical imagery comes from.

Satan comes to every one of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ, who have placed our faith totally in him.

And he goes around and he pushes on the doors.

If one opens, he goes in, makes himself at home.

You say, what do you mean by that?

Listen carefully, please.

Pride and self-sufficiency is a huge door

that Satan is going to push on to see if it's unlocked and to see if it is not under the

control of the Holy Spirit. Anger and bitterness is a door that he constantly pushes on to see if it's unlocked.

Hatred and unforgiveness is a door that he constantly pushes on to see if the door unlocked

and will be open for him to come in. Lust and greed, there are doors that he pushes on all the time to see if there's

an opportunity for him to go in and set a beachhead, being undecurning Christian from the

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