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Your Enemy Defined
Children, no matter how good you are you will have enemies. They will come in all forms, those who will openly attack you, those who will pretend to be friends, and those in the spiritual realm.
If someone attacks you physically it is easy to identify them as an enemy. However, there are many others that you must identify by what the person does or says.
I wish I could tell you that if you do what is right and are kind to others everyone will love you. However, this is not true. When you stand for what is right, as I hope you will, you will be attacked by friends, foes, and, possibly family or even church members.
Satan so corrupts the world that his followers may even think they are doing good when they attack you. The Apostle Paul tells us, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
So, who is your enemy?
It would be helpful if they would hang a sign on themselves, but the signs they often use are well-worded lies. Your enemy will present itself in many forms. Often you will not even recognize them as enemies.
Because of their deceptive nature, you will have to stay alert. Temptation can come from anywhere. You have heard the statement, “You are your own worst enemy.” We all tend to want what we want when we want it, making us our own enemy.
All of us sin!
Remember that you are a sinner by nature. Paul says in Romans 3:23 NKJV say, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Every one of us is tempted to do evil by our wants, by others who want us to join them in some evil, and by the world in which we live. Our society is given over to sin even though most people would say they are good.
The world’s doctrine is that you should be able to do or say anything you want. If it hurts someone it is their problem. This lie leads people to do all kinds of things that are harmful to themselves and others.
If anyone tempts you to do wrong they are your enemy, even if they say they are your best friend. Your friends are just people and they can be led astray and lead you astray. So, be careful.
Sin leads to death.
You may suffer physical death, spiritual death, or both. Of the two, spiritual death is the one you should fear most. This is the way Jesus puts it in Matthew 10:18 KNJV, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.“
The Bible tells us that Satan tempted Eve and then Eve tempted Adam. Adam disobeyed God and his sin affected the whole world for all time. Paul says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned.”—Romans 5:12.
A spiritual enemy can be anyone.
Your friend, preacher, husband, wife, or anyone else who leads you to go against God’s Word. This does not mean they are evil, only that they are not following God in some area of their life.
It seems that when a person is doing wrong they never want to do it alone. They want to have company to justify their actions. You need to make sure that you don’t join in their evil, but try to encourage them to do what is right.
This can turn an enemy into a friend who may help you in the future.
Enemies do not tell the truth!
Remember that those who would lead you away from living a righteous life are enemies. Often they are telling the same lies that have been told for centuries with just a little variation. Satan is the father of lies and will convince anyone who will listen. You can be convinced if you don’t know and hold to the truth of God.
Jesus, speaking of Satan, in John 8:44c NKJV says, “When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” This truth is one that you need to keep always in your mind.
You will be presented with many choices in life. How you respond to those choices will determine your spiritual well-being.
However, Satan is not our number one enemy.
Children, to have life to the fullest we must follow Jesus. He says in John 10:10 NKJV, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Satan is the thief Jesus refers to in the above Scripture. Satan is your enemy, but he tempts you through others. Those he has deceived will encourage you to sin. You should hold them accountable for their actions but love them regardless and try to help them walk with the Lord.
There is a balance to which we should adhere.
Yes, Satan is your enemy, but you will not see him in person. You will see his disciples all around you. He will use everyone you know and come in contact with to try to persuade you to sin. They are enemies only in light of them encouraging you to sin.
So, how will we treat those we have identified as enemies? You cannot love Satan or the world, but you can love those who do you wrong. In fact, you are commanded to love those who are your enemies by word or deed.
Listen to what Jesus says to us. In Luke 6:27-28 NKJV Jesus says, “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
Jesus is our example.
He certainly had His enemies, yet He loved them. They mocked and beat Him and then hung Him on the cross until He was dead. He went through this for them and us before we even knew Him.
Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 NKJV that, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus showed us all how much He cared for us and those who may attack us as they did Him.
Children, can you love those who tempt you or hurt you as Jesus did? Maybe we can’t to the degree Jesus did, however, this should be our goal. We can if we keep focused on Jesus.
Satan is your enemy, but he does not make you sin.
You are the one who is in charge of what you do. No one makes you sin. It does not matter how much you are tempted.
The idea that “Satan made me do it” is false. You alone are responsible for your actions and the life you live. It is you who will have to answer for your actions.
Satan is our adversary and constantly accuses us, but as Christians, he has no power to make us do anything. When we sin, it is because of our inward desires, not Satan trapping us by some sneaky trick.
James makes it clear that our sin comes from within us. Satan is in the world and is always working on some level to deceive us so that we will sin.
However, Satan has no power to make you sin.
Children, God has a plan for your life. His plan is better than anything you may have dreamed. The hard part is avoiding the sinful obstacles that will cause you to stumble.
One way to avoid sin is to understand what sin is. The following Scriptures will help you answer that question.
Sin is yielding to a desire to do wrong.
In James 1:14-15 NKJV he says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Sin is not having faith in God.
Paul says in Romans 14:23 NKJV, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” In other words, whatever we do that goes against trust and faith in God, is sin. No one can make you walk without faith.
Sin is breaking God’s Laws.
1 John 3:4, we read, “Sin is the transgression of the law” (KJV). It is that simple. God has laid out how He wants us to conduct ourselves. When we do not act accordingly, we are in rebellion against God.
To sum it up.
Your enemy is anyone and anything that causes you to stand against God.
God has provided you with a path to Him. It is a path that He planned from the foundation of the world. All biblical history up to the birth of Jesus points to the coming of your Savior.
You can not live a righteous life without Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 3:22-24 Paul tells us, 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Once you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, He has promised to send His Holy Spirit to dwell in you and guide you into all righteousness.
You are not alone!
When you face your enemies, you need to remember that you have Jesus with you. He has given you His Holy Spirit. In 1 John 4:4 NKJV John reminds us, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.