Our sweet church in Idaho went through the book of Ephesians. Our pastor preached several great sermons but I particularly enjoyed his sermon on Ephesians 6:10-12. He had several great points, but this point really hit home: “Know who your enemy is and who your enemy is not” (Pastor James Gregory, First Southern Baptist Church).
The Problem
Scripture tells us, we do not struggle against flesh and blood but against princes and principalities. We know who our enemy is. There is an unseen spiritual battle going on around us and for us. Satan and his fallen angels have roamed the earth for generations. They are experts in destruction, manipulation and exploiting weakness. When you combine that with our wayward heart, you get broken relationships, self-destruction, and heartbreak.
Now, there is a thin line between the devil made me do it and a person’s willful sin. Ultimately, we will all be accountable and responsible for our choices on this earth. God’s word equips us to resist the devil and guard ourselves against the unseen spiritual battles. So how do we do this? First, we recognize and identity the enemy and his tactics. Secondly, I will help identify important scripture that helps believers live in obedience to God’s word and grow spiritually.
Know Your Enemy
Our enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy according to John 10. His priority is to destroy the kingdom of God and take as many people as he can to hell. The moment you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you became a target of the enemy. He wants to stop you from growing spiritually and impacting the Kingdom for God’s glory.
In Ephesians 6, we learn about the Armor of God and the importance of preparing for Spiritual battle. When I was a teenager, my older brother asked me if I had an enemy? “No, I don’t think so,” was my reply. He proceeded to remind me that if Satan wasn’t my enemy and coming against me, then I wasn’t a threat to him. In other words, don’t claim to belong to God and play for the enemy’s team. If you aren’t advancing the Kingdom of God, being a light in this evil world, and growing spiritually, you may need a reality check. We know from scripture we have an enemy and if he isn’t yours, why?
Your Enemy is not…
Be careful to not make an enemy of your Christian brother or sister. This doesn’t mean that they can’t be a useful stodge of the enemy by their lack of spiritual maturity, but they are ultimately part of the same body, the body of believers. In fact, we are called to be unified as believers according to Ephesians 4:3-4. To be clear, our enemy is Satan and the fallen angels that roam the earth, influencing the unsuspecting and unprepared. It grieves the heart of God to see sister against sister and brother against brother.
Known by Our Love
Not only are we to be unified in Christ, but we are to be known for our love for one another.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus, John 13:34-35, ESV
And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.
1 Thessalonians 3:12, NLT
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8, NLT
So my question to you is: Do you love your fellow brother and sister in Christ? Do you love your neighbor? Can you harbor unforgiveness and still show the love of God to others?
The Hard Truth of Forgiveness
Sometimes it is important to step back from hurt and conflict to access the motives of others and our response to the situation. Was this person a useful tool of the enemy? What was their intention? Do they even know they offended me? Am I reading more into this than is there? Am I being a tool of the enemy to cause division? So often we get so caught up in our feelings and perception of offense that we never really care to get to the heart of the matter. Challenging our perception, opening our heart to understanding, and seeking a reconciled relationship, all help us in finding forgiveness and unity with others. It will also keep us from being a pawn in Satan’s game to create division in the body of Christ when we are able to recognize his tactics.
Here is what the bible says about forgiveness.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Jesus, Matthew 6:14-15, NLT
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Colossians 3:13-15, NLT
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.
Jesus, Luke 6:37,
Do you claim to love the LORD and yet refuse to forgive others? Do you hold onto past hurts offering no mercy or grace to those that have “wronged” you? Are you critical of other’s behaviors and short comings, but expect total forgiveness when you fall short? If you related to any of the questions above, I encourage you to examine your heart. I can only imagine how this grieves the heart of God because it grieves my heart. In truth, it ruins our witness to non-believers when it comes to sharing the redeeming love of God.
Wait, There’s More
Jesus even goes so far to tell his followers, “Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” (Luke 6:27-28) And then he goes on to say right after that to drive the point home in verses 35-36, “Love your enemies? Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate!” Wow! We are called to love our brothers and sisters in Christ because we are of one body. And we are called to love the non-believers, our neighbors and yes, even our enemies. All of Gods created beings, people.
So if you want to spoil the demonic forces plans for your life, just start loving people, even the hard to love people, and forgive others whether they deserve it or not. That’s not up to us. There is something that happens in our spirit when we begin to live out these truths. We have to lay down our desires, feelings and pain to trust God and activate the power of the Hold Spirit in our lives. Growing us spiritually and increasing our faith. If we are to become more like Jesus, don’t we need to start acting like him?
Forgive, and Call the Enemy Out
So I encourage you to examine your heart this week. Are you harboring unforgiveness towards someone? Has a past hurt kept you from attending church? Do you experience conflict more often that other people you know? Maybe God is speaking to you to examine your own weaknesses so that you can grow and mature in your faith.
Don’t let Satan use you to create division within the church or ruin your witness. Maybe it’s time that you go to that person that hurt you and talk to them with the goal of reconciling and forgiving them. By the way, it doesn’t mean that you have to be friends, but it’s an opportunity to clear the air and put past hurt behind you. If an offense is beyond egregious, it’s time to give it to God and let him help you release it. Don’t let unforgiveness stop you from putting the enemy back in his place…under your feet.
Prayer
Lord, thank you so much for your forgiveness and grace in my life. Thank you for freeing me from the bondage of sin and redeeming me. Help me to grow and mature spiritually, that I might be a witness to all your goodness and grace, pointing others to you. Lord help me to love like you love, even those that are hard to love. Teach me Lord how to love sacrificially without expectation.
Father, teach me how to forgive like you forgive. Help me to forgive those who have wronged me and hurt me deeply. Give me the strength to let go and trust you. My identity is in you. I am a child of God, set free and forgiven. Help me forgive as you forgive me. I no longer belong to the darkness and renounce any attachments to my sin nature. Give me discernment, oh God, to recognize what is good and right; what is holy and pure so that I might walk in your grace. Help me to see through the tactics of the enemy and withstand his attacks. Grow me in such a way that I will know my enemy and he will not have access to my life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Sweet friend, God’s mercies are new every day. I pray that you that you know your enemy now and how to take back some ground. Its a great day for a beautiful day.
To understand the meaning of this phase read here.