In a previous post (Know Your Enemy) I began talking about spiritual warfare, specifically, the importance of knowing your enemy. If you don't know your enemy you will have difficulty winning spiritual battles since knowing your enemy's tactics is vital to success.
It is possible to have many enemies but the truth is we have one main enemy—Satan. We need to remember the people involved are not the main enemy we face though they may seem and act like the enemy. They are tools used by the enemy. We must remember they are loved by God as much as we are—Jesus died for them! Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Another thing to remember is that Satan is able to use anyone for his purpose—all he has to do is distract us from God's purpose to enjoy some success in his plan. Satan uses other Christians as tools against us sometimes. There are many biblical examples of this. The first example that comes to mind is when Jesus told Peter, "get thee behind me Satan." Satan uses Christians to hurt and divide the "body of Christ" all the time through gossip and arguments.
We must learn about our enemy, but we need to be careful not to glorify him. We need to know how to combat him and to do that we need to know how he works, his tricks, his methods and also his limitations. More than anything else we must remember Satan is defeated. Jesus won the victory and that will never change. There is no "redo." Satan will never get another chance to change what God has done. Satan's end is already decided—he is defeated.
God has defeated Satan—it is important for us to remember that. We also need to remember that Satan is more crafty and powerful than we are in our own power. We have to stay connected with Jesus on a daily basis to see success in the spiritual battle against Satan.
Part of the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:15 is to have our "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." I believe we need to be prepared to share the message of a loving and forgiving God to our enemies. We must remember to present the love and grace of God to even the most difficult people who oppose us. They are loved by God and through the mercy of God could become our strongest allies. A perfect example of this is Paul. Before he encountered Jesus he was one of the greatest opponents the early church faced. It is not for us to decide who should be saved. The Bible says God is the Lord of the Harvest. Sometimes sharing the message of the gospel is done with our actions and lives and sometimes with our words. We must be ready to share the message in whatever way God gives us the opportunity.
So, to summarize, we must confront our opponents with the truth of God's love and opportunity for forgiveness through Jesus. We only have power to fight Satan in the power of the Holy Spirit and by the blood of Jesus. It is the work of Jesus that is the foundation for our power. We must remember our limitations—nothing is done in our power. And we must remember our strengths—"For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," Philippians 4:13. I believe many of us fail to realize the authority Jesus bestowed on us but this authority and power is only available in and through the Holy Spirit.
We must know our enemies to be successful in spiritual warfare.
May our Lord bless you and give you wisdom and strength to fight in the spiritual realms.
Tim
