Your Real Enemy

May 12, 2023

Ephesians 6:12

“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.”

In order to truly understand the enemy that you are facing we have to take a look at what the Word of God has to say. The Apostle Paul breaks it down perfectly in this verse of Scripture in his epistle to the church of Ephesus. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit he is clearly letting us know that our battle is not with flesh and blood.

What does that actually mean? In other words our struggle is not with our family member, our spouse, a close friend, or the co-worker that consistently hates on you. Not even close! Whether we want to believe it or not, our battle is with Satan and his demonic kingdom. In order for you to have a full grasp on the spiritual realm you have to know that it exists in the first place.

A lot of people think that Satan is a figment of someone’s imagination or a story that was passed on from generation to generation. That is so far from the truth. He is a very powerful adversary that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy every single one of us. His kingdom is extremely militant and highly organized running like a well-oiled machine. There is no way that you can overcome his schemes and tactics in your own power.

Here we can see the enemy’s structure mentioned through the Scripture highlighted above. Paul is letting us know that we are fighting against a highly organized adversary with different levels and ranks within his kingdom. He details, “…but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

What the Apostle Paul is listing is the different levels of darkness that we are up against. They cannot be seen with the naked eye but you can see their destructive nature being played out in the lives of people every single day. That is why it is vital that you don’t remain ignorant to his devices, 2 Corinthians 2:11.

Whether you are a believer of Jesus Christ or a non-believer you are affected by the devil in one way or another. The reason why he is more real to spirit filled believers is because we are a threat to his kingdom. He isn’t going to just allow you to continue to contest his schemes and not do something about it. If you aren’t facing any resistance you may want to make sure you aren’t heading in the same direction as he is.

The number one way that he sneaks into the lives of believers of Jesus Christ is to make us believe that he does not exist. By you remaining ignorant to his devices, he can remain undetected. He is always hidden in plain sight. When you are fighting with a family member or your spouse and you see them become enraged out of nowhere, you can best believe that the enemy is operating in their life in one way or another.

Spiritual warfare is an everyday reality and as long as you are combating against the wrong foe you’ve already lost the battle. It is so important that you understand that life is completely spiritual. So, when someone comes at you sideways don’t be so quick to react and allow the enemy to take control of the situation; instead get into your prayer closet and fight the devil through prayer.

Let’s take a look at some verses of Scripture that let us know the real enemy that we are facing.

John 10:10

“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.”

Here we can see a description of our enemy and his agenda. The Lord is telling us unmistakably that he is a thief and has a plan to completely destroy our lives by any means necessary. Make no mistake about it; the devil cannot stand any one of us even the people that he uses as his agents to promote his kingdom. We are created in the image of God and he knows that the Lord is more powerful than he is. Christians are a constant reminder of that fact.

The problem is a lot of us fall for his tactics daily. He keeps us busy by having us argue with the co-worker or family member all the while he remains hidden. We have to come to the realization that our fight isn’t with flesh, it is with the demonic influence behind the person that you are at odds with. As long as we continue to war against the wrong adversary, he has us right where he wants us.

When we waist all of time and energy seeking revenge on the people that we feel “did us wrong” we don’t have any time left to fight spiritually. One of the main goals that the enemy has is to cause us to develop adverse emotions in our heart that will give him the legal right to wreak havoc in our lives. Sentiments like anger, rage, hate, animosity, bitterness, and then ultimately unforgiveness.

It is imperative that we know the true enemy that we are facing and don’t allow outside circumstances to cause us to develop strong holds. That is exactly what the devil wants; he wants you to heighten every negative emotion so the he can intensify them. Staying in your Word, praying, fasting, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you will help you tame your flesh.

It really boils down to the renewal of your mind. Once you realize the repercussions of retaliation, you won’t be so quick to clap back. Saturating yourself with the Lord’s Word will help you grow spiritually. You will know when you truly begin to change because the things that agitated you before will no longer faze you!

1 Peter 5:8

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

In this verse of Scripture the Lord is giving us another example of who our true enemy is. He is referenced as a “roaring lion” and notice what his agenda is once again, to devour! He is not just sitting back somewhere allowing Christians to just live our happy little lives. The devil and his demonic kingdom are consistently searching around for someone to consume. Just like a hungry lion demolishes his prey, that is exactly what the devil wants to do to us.

We have to remain sober and vigilant meaning that we have to keep our head clear minded at all times so that we stay ready. You are in a full on raging war and you cannot afford to be lackadaisical about your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Remaining a luke warm Christian is an open doorway allowing the enemy to come into your life and create chaos.

Some things that you can do that will help you remain sober and vigilant are:

Instead of arguing and fighting against people you take the war to your prayer closet.
Read your Bible daily, remember the Word of God is your double-edged Sword and should never become dull. Try to at least read a chapter a day.
Pray daily
Make time for fasting
Spend time speaking in your heavenly prayer language, it will edify your body and strengthen your Spirit man.
Develop intimacy with the Lord any way that you can and that doesn’t mean at church on a Sunday afternoon.
Praise and Worship the Lord
Refrain from drinking or using any drugs (this should be a given) remember we are to remain sober and vigilant. A lot of Christians debate whether or not one can drink stating that it doesn’t specify “not drinking” in the Word of God. This is true but it does forbid drunkenness (Galatians 5:21). So, my question would be when is that line drawn between being sober or being drunk? I would rather not even risk it.
Do not be ignorant of the enemy’s devices, we have to be knowledgeable about how the devil and his kingdom operates. One of the number ways that we perish is because of our lack of knowledge, Hosea 4:6.
Above everything else, make sure that you are operating in love. Colossians 3:14 states, “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” When you function in pure love the enemy will have a hard time penetrating your armor to develop strongholds.

As long as you make an intentional effort to stay prayed up and suited up in the full armor of God, the devil will not be able to have his way with you. If you choose to fight against the wrong adversary, he will have a field day with you all day and every day. He knows when a Christian is taking their walk with Jesus seriously because they will be spiritually minded, walking in their authority, and not taking any of his mess!

Conclusion

I cannot express to you enough how important it is to understand the real enemy that you are facing. As children of God we are fighting against a very powerful adversary that wants to wipe us off the face of the Earth. The good news is that He that is in you is greater than he that is in this world, 1 John 4:4. The more that you get yourself into the Word of God and study it and apply it to your daily life, the more of a threat you are to the devil’s kingdom.

With the help of the Holy Spirit you will have a clear understanding of what the Bible says about who you are in Christ. You will begin to walk boldly in your authority without fear of the enemy and his devices. At the end of the day we are warring against an already defeated foe.

We have the authority as believers of Jesus Christ to overcome the devil. The Word of God tells us in Luke 10:19 “ Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” We just need to gain the knowledge needed to understand our role as warriors in the Army of Jesus Christ!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Loving Your Enemies

How to share your Testimony

The Importance of Renewing Your Mind!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

If you’ve missed any of the other weekly quotes, no worries I am listing them down below:

Positive Quote for the Week: Be Kind!