Good morning dear friends! Ready to dig back in?
Remember, we are looking at the topic of KNOW YOUR ENEMY. I shared yesterday that a large majority of Christians live like a defeated soldier. This is not what God wants for us. He has gone to great lengths to provide all we need to live a victorious life. However, so many of us have the same attitude that we see in a stubborn, self-willed 2-year-old: “I do it myself!”
Dear friend, we cannot live a victorious life unless we grasp onto all Christ died to give us. We cannot live a victorious life if we will not let God loose to be Who He wants to be for us: our Jehovah Nissi, the God Who battles for us. We cannot live as a victor if we will not study our enemy, learn his tactics/weapons that he uses against us, and learn what we have to use to defeat him. To do any less, we will live in defeat. God does not want that. Yet, so many of us do live in defeat. Why?
It is not because we don’t have what we need at the tips of our tongue (prayer).
It is not because God is not helping us.
It is not because God is not willing to help us.
It is not because this is “just the way things are.”
So, why? We live less than the best, we feel defeated and live defeated, weakminded, and quit easily because of one main reason:
We don’t know our enemy!
Yes. In fact, in spite of the constant references in Scripture to our enemy and what we have as Christians to defeat him, the typical Christian acts as though they don’t even know they have an enemy. This is dangerous thinking! This is risky thinking! This is why I believe we see so many Christians living without power and strength. This is why so few Christians walk in their authority. This is why I believe we see so many Christians living in defeat, miserable so much of their lives.
We cannot win a battle if we do not even know what is hitting us–that we have a REAL battle going on. We must know that THIS IS BATTLE!
We cannot win a battle if we don’t know that we have an enemy. We cannot win if we don’t know who our enemy is. We cannot win if we don’t KNOW our enemy…
1. That he IS–that there IS an enemy!
2. Who he is AND is not.
3. What he wants.
4. His tactics.
5. What we have to defeat him–methods, armor, equipment, tools, support.
Want to fight the good fight? Want victory that IS YOURS? Tired of living in defeat? Ready to live a victorious life? Beloved, you must KNOW YOUR ENEMY!
That brings me to today’s lesson…
2. You need to know who your enemy IS and IS NOT.
Now, I know that earlier I shared who your enemy is not. If you missed that, go back and dig into that lesson. It will help you to soak this point in very deeply. To review, you need to know that your enemy is not flesh and blood. Your enemy is not the person you SEE before you…
Your enemy is not God!
Your enemy is not your spouse!
Your enemy is not your mother!
Your enemy is not your father!
Your enemy is not your child!
Your enemy is not your sibling!
Your enemy is not your friend!
Your enemy is not your fellow Christian!
Your enemy is not flesh and blood!
Take a peek at 2 Corinthians 10:3:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Sweet friend, the enemy loves to hold out those you love as the ones that are your enemies. Sweet friend, they are not your enemy. Your real enemy, the devil, holds them up to you as the flesh and blood that you SEE. He wants for you to hit them with all you have–all your strength and all of your weapons. He wants for you to take them out! He LOVES “friendly fire” in our relationships, homes, churches, communities, world. He loves, loves, loves for us to hit back at those we SEE.
This is our biggest mistake.
God wants for us to know who our enemy is and is not. It is important if we are to fight the good fight. We have to know this or we will hurt those we love the most. We can wound our “team” very easily and take one another out. We have to know this or we will hurt each other very deeply. We have to know this or we will get isolated and become “prey for the enemy.” The very last thing that you want is to allow yourself to be isolated. God created us for relationship. We have a deep need for a relationship with HIM and others. The enemy KNOWS THIS!
The enemy will always try to put up walls between you and God…you and those you love. He wants you isolated. He wants others isolated.
The enemy knows us very well. He knows exactly what can weaken us and shackles us so we cannot fight the good fight with all we have available to us.
He wants us to step out in our own strength and handle the blows on our own. He wants for us to try to do it all by ourselves. He knows that we are weak when we are all by ourselves. We need God to fill those gaps. We need others to hold us up as we battle. The enemy knows the strength that we have on “our team” and he will do anything he can to try to deceive us into thinking that the person we see before us is our “problem” so we will hit at them. Then, he has all of us working with him!
KNOW your enemy!
Go back to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Take a peek also at Ephesians 6: 11-12:
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Take a peek at 1 Peter 5:8:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Our enemy is NOT flesh and blood. Our enemy is the devil. God is clear. Take a peek at one more passage, just in case you struggle with confusing God and the devil:
Isaiah 54: 15
If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. (NASV)
If anyone attacks you, don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them. (THE MESSAGE)
In fact, I love this whole passage from Isaiah 54 in THE MESSAGE:
You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness,
far from any trouble—nothing to fear!
far from terror—it won’t even come close!
If anyone attacks you,
don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them,
And if any should attack,
nothing will come of it.
I create the blacksmith
who fires up his forge
and makes a weapon designed to kill.
I also create the destroyer—
but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.
Any accuser who takes you to court
will be dismissed as a liar.
This is what God’s servants can expect.
I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.”
God’s Decree.
God goes to great lengths in Scripture to tell us who our enemy is: the devil. He goes even further to show us how to defeat the devil, how to avoid living defeated lives, and even more awesome, how to live a VICTORIOUS LIFE!
Dear friend, how different would your life be if you knew what was hitting you when…
…the car breaks
…that unexpected bill comes in
…someone gets upset with you
…your child gets mysteriously sick
…your mind begins to play games with you
…someone accuses you of something you have not done
…you feel like God is far, far away and does not care about your situation
…you battle with choices
…things don’t go your way
…it is tough to get things done
…bad things happen to you or those you love
…on and on?
How different would things be? Well, that MIGHT be your question to me? How different would things be if it were ONE ENEMY? One enemy behind it all? Even better…how different would it be if you had a rock-solid plan for handling that enemy? How different would it be if you were given tactics and weapons to defeat the enemy when he rises up.
Dear friend, the good news is that you have all of that!
You can KNOW your enemy–who he is and who he is not.
You can know What he wants.
You can know what he is trying to do with each of his moves.
You can know His tactics–how he typically hits all of us (There is nothing new under the sun–he hits ALL of us the same ways!)
You can know what we have to defeat him–methods, armor, equipment, tools, support.
You can learn how to use all you have (methods, armor, equipment, tools, support) so you can live a victorious life!
Is that good?
Want that?
That is the beautiful story unveiled in the Bible. We have ALL OF THAT! Our God gives us ALL we need in order to live an abundant life–even in the midst of any and all of life’s circumstances.
Does that excite you?
So, where do you begin today?
KNOW YOUR ENEMY!
Soak deep into your heart and soul all of the truths shared here. It will change the way you respond in life…
–> You won’t fall for the enemy’s tactics.
–> You won’t fire off at what or WHO you SEE!
–> You won’t join the enemy accusing God and those you love of the very works of the devil.
–> You won’t sit in shackles, defeated, when you are a mighty warrior.
–> You will respond to life’s struggles in victory rather than as a victim.
–> You won’t be going from problem-to-problem, but rather from glory-to-glory!
–> You will fight the good fight!
Yes, beloved, today soak this in. It can change everything for you TODAY! It can change how you respond to life TODAY! It can change the outcome of TODAY!
What do you think?
Today, soak in these truths. Take this to the Lord and ask Him to show you how different things will be as you live this one out. Ask God to give you HIS VIEW of the things that are hitting you. Let God help you to clear the “smoke” from any hits of the enemy so you can see clearly what is going on. Sit. Learn of God.
And…
Tomorrow, we will look even deeper into this lesson as we dig into the enemy’s tactics. You are going to love this!
See ya tomorrow!
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