Who Is the Enemy that Believers in Christ Are Facing?
- Keith Thomas
- 7 minutes ago
- 3 min read
When World War I started, the War Ministry in London, England, sent a coded message to one of the British outposts in the remote areas of British-controlled Africa, saying, "War declared, arrest all enemy aliens in your district." The quick reply came back, "Have arrested ten Germans, six Belgians, four Frenchmen, two Italians, three Austrians, and an American. Please advise immediately who we are at war with."
In our daily meditations over the next few days, we will examine Satan and the demonic forces the Church is fighting against. To succeed in the battle against darkness, we need to understand who the enemy is and his strategies. In the book The Art of War, author Sun Tzu said, "If you know your enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. You will succumb in every battle if you know neither the enemy nor yourself."[1] If that is true of earthly wars, then even more so is it true of the spiritual battle that every Christian faces.
The Lord has not left us unprepared for this battle. He has provided us with everything we need to stand in the fight and emerge victorious against our enemy. Christians are called to fight against Satan and his unseen demonic forces. If we are to carry out the Great Commission—to preach the Gospel to the world and make disciples of all nations—we will face opposition. Although the Body of Christ has different gifts and callings, we are all involved in this cosmic struggle and called to be overcomers and victors with Christ. All Christians have received their call-up papers by the Captain of our Salvation to come to the fight, for there are no civilians in this war. We all have our part to play in this spiritual battle against unseen forces of evil. Here’s what the apostle Paul wrote about the weapons we fight with.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
We, the Church, are equipped with spiritual weapons. The weapons we fight with are not guns and bombs of this world system. We cannot battle against unseen spiritual beings with worldly weapons. Our weapons have divine power to demolish the strongholds or fortifications of the enemy. Paul the apostle wrote of believers in Christ advancing on entrenched enemy fortifications and setting free the prisoners, precious people loved by our God. The Church of God is on the attack! Empowered by our God, we are not discouraged by the seemingly impregnable walls and the size and power of the enemy. The Lord will break down the fortifications of sin and every form of deception. Every knee shall bow to our God! Our opposition is the strongholds of the mind and different philosophies of thought set up by our enemy through teachings we have received in our own country and family that have taken up residence in our thought patterns. We were oblivious to their destructive power against our souls when we received them, but now we are waking up from our sleep.
If we are unaware of the battle in our minds, we will struggle to stand against our enemy. Be cautious about your thought life. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). Your heart, representing the core of your inner life and spirit, is guarded by your mind. Be wary of the images Satan may try to plant into the fertile ground of your heart. Take every thought captive that opposes the truth of God's Word.
Does that mean we should never fight with guns and bullets against evil men who rise to destroy us? Should we only pray? If freedom-loving people had never resisted Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, demonic evil forces would have gained control over nations, taken away our religious freedoms, and sought to end the worship of God everywhere. The Church is called to intercessory prayer to defeat the spiritual forces opposing the spreading of the Gospel to all people. In any battle with an enemy, one should always strive to understand the enemy. Knowing the enemy's plans and schemes helps us to defeat him. More along these lines tomorrow. Keith Thomas
This shortened meditation is from The War Against Satan and Demons series. The study is 1. The Hidden World Beyond Our Reality