An enemy is someone or something, that seeks to defeat us or cause us pain. We all have them and sometimes, we are our own enemy. However, we all have one enemy in common. That enemy is sin. Sin is the awful acts we do or thoughts we have that separate us from God. It is the worst enemy of all because it can change our eternal destiny. No other enemy has that kind of power. People who hate us can’t change our relationship with God. They may make us miserable, and hurt us deeply, but that should make us run to God, not separate us from Him. Satan, the great deceiver and mastermind of sin can tempt us, but he can’t make us sin. We need to be able to identify the enemy and learn how to defeat the enemy.
How do we defeat an enemy? One way is to fight. Sometimes you can flee from the presence of sin and win a battle, but to win the war you must fight. I Timothy 6:12 encourages us to fight the fight of faith. We are to reach out and grab our prize of eternal life and never let go.
I Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
Our faith and obedience to Christ is a worthy cause. If we stay faithful striving for the prize of pleasing Jesus and inheriting eternal life, we will need to exercise self-control. I Corinthians 9:25 compares our battle with an athlete who pushes through the pain and trains hard to win the prize. He has one goal in mind, and he is determined to exclude things that don’t point to that goal. Anything that would hinder his progress toward the goal will be laid aside.
I Corinthians 9:25 “And every man that strived for the mastery is temperate (self-control) in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
In I Peter 5:8, the description of the devil is painted as a roaring lion, crouching about looking for any opportunity to pounce on his prey. While we know he wants to destroy us he cannot unless we allow him to. He may attack and we may feel wounded, but we are to fight with the weapons that God provides every believer.
I Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
God provides us with His word. The Bible is described as a two-edged sword in Hebrews 4:12. A two-edged sword cuts in every direction. It can get to the heart of a matter quickly and the word can and should be our defense.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
God gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us when we are saved. He is called the Comforter because He brings peace and comfort to our souls. When we are tempted, He not only comes to comfort us but also brings the word of God back to our memory as a weapon to fight.
John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
God also provides us with a body of believers to come along beside us and help us. A church family that understands what we are going through and will battle in prayer on our behalf. This is one of the main reasons you need to be plugged into a good Bible-believing church. Albert Barnes explained Galatians 6:2 like this, “The sense is, that every man has special temptations and easily besetting sins, which constitute a heavy burden. We should aid each other in regard to these and help one another to overcome them.”
Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
When we equip ourselves with His word, gain the presence of the Holy Spirit through salvation, and align ourselves with a good church, we will be able to not only fight but can identify the enemy.
We can and we should gain the victory over our enemies. When we utilized the things that God has provided for us to fight the battles of life, our faith, hope, or love is not destroyed. It is not only not destroyed, but it is also increased. When we triumph, it pushes us forward in a way that a life without enemies could not achieve.
When I read the verses below an emotion swells up within me that want to grab my “sword” and run out to battle. We are more than conquerors and we are overcomers through Christ.
There will be times you will feel you are losing, but you must remember the truth of His word. Don’t allow the things of this world to cloud your vision or cause you to quit, because “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!”
Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
I John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
I John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
