As I look back to my childhood years, especially during the time I was in high school, the devil tried on many occasions to derail my destiny. I didn’t realize it then, but now I can very clearly see the havoc he reaped upon my life. I didn’t know as much about the Word of God as I know today, but even the small amount of God’s Word that I knew back then shielded me from many of the enemy’s attacks. Galatians 3:26 (NLT) says, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” We can have great confidence in knowing that we are indeed God’s children, and He will back us no matter what we face.
Another important piece of wisdom that I have learned is to recognize who my real enemy is. When I was younger, I thought some people were my enemies. If certain individuals didn’t like me or tried to work against me for some reason, I took offense. I held resentment in my heart towards them, and often wrote them off. I hadn’t done anything to offend them. Half the time I didn’t even know their names. In my mind, they decided to demonstrate a negative attitude towards me for no reason, and therefore, deserved the title of ‘enemy’. My attitude changed when I learned Ephesians 6:12(NLT). It says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
God does not want us to be ignorant about our real enemy. Jesus Christ told us in John 10:10 exactly who he is and what he does. He’s the devil; a thief, murderer, and destroyer. God doesn’t want us to get this twisted, because doing so will cause us to waste an enormous amount of time and energy. We might pick fights with people, not realizing that it is a demon influence working through them to come against us. If these people knew about the devil’s tactics, perhaps they would have the spiritual strength to resist his temptations. Many people don’t understand who the devil is and how he operates. Because of this, they allow themselves to be used by him.
Ephesians 6:12 lets us know that the world is full of evil beings in high places. As born again Christians, our fight is not against flesh and blood individuals, but instead it is with spiritual wickedness. To make sure that we are always on the winning side, in Ephesians 6:14, God instructs us to put on every piece of His mighty armor, so that we can resist the enemy when he tries to take us down with foolishness. God says that if we use the spiritual armor that He has provided, we will continue to stand firm no matter the attack.
Ephesians 6:14-18 tells us that God’s armor is the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness; it’s peace that comes from the Good News, and it’s the shield of faith that will stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Salvation is our helmet, and God tells us to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With this armor, we can see very clearly that we have all we need to be victorious in Christ!
We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be suckered into a fight we’ve already won through Jesus Christ. People will talk about us behind our backs. Friends will betray our trust, and those we love most sometimes disappoint us. We should not make the mistake of holding grudges or taking matters into our own hands through vengeful actions. Our confidence should be in God and His Word. We should forgive and have the love of Christ in our hearts. God has told us who our real enemy is, and if we keep our spiritual armor shining with God’s love, we will always walk in His victory.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Know Your Real Enemy”, written by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.