Ephesians 4:27 (LSB)

Passage

and do not give the devil an opportunity.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Ephesians 4:27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

Ephesians 4:28 He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "devil", and "opportunity". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "devil", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "Be angry and yet do not sin..." into verse 28's "He who steals must steal no longer...", so "give" and "devil" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "give" and "devil" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.