For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:12 NASB

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in battle is to underestimate your enemy. An equally dangerous mistake is to overestimate your own ability. When people come against us it is human nature to become angry with that person. We may be tempted to be bitter towards them. We may be tempted to plot evil against them. We may be tempted to slander them. But our human nature is always in direct contrast to what the Bible tells us to do. That keeps it interesting, doesn’t it? You see, we are told in Ephesians 4:29 that no unwholesome talk should come from our mouths, but only that which is uplifting to others. Matthew 5:44 tells us to pray for our enemies and to bless those that persecute us.

I don’t know about you, but the biggest problem I have when someone comes against me is that I get mad at that person. I fail to follow our scripture passage. I see a person who is causing me a problem when what I should be seeing is someone who is acting on behalf of Satan himself. I should see a person who is weak minded and being manipulated by the devil. If I am in God’s will and this person comes against me, I should have compassion on this person. We know from Romans 8:28 that all things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. But, nowhere in the Bible is any good promised for those who do Satan’s bidding. But there are numerous passages of scripture, including Proverbs 14:11 and Psalm 37:9-11, that promise destruction for the wicked.

I may consider myself to be a strong person, but even I’m not dumb enough to fight Satan on my own. I know that only God can defeat Satan. When I see this person as Satan’s representative then it helps me to put things in the proper perspective so that I do not underestimate their ability or overestimate my own.

If you are doing right by God and following His commandments and are being persecuted by an enemy then I beg of you to see that enemy for who they really are, Satan’s representative. Just as we are to be God’s hands and feet here on earth, Satan also needs those who will do his work for him. Sadly, those who are weak minded and refrain from entering into a good, solid relationship with their Lord and Savior are susceptible to the devil and his schemes. They believe the devil’s lies and allow him to manipulate them (2 Corinthians 11:3, 2 Corinthians 2:11).

As Christians we must guard against this and not fall prey to the devil’s schemes. My former supervisor used to tell me to never argue with an idiot because they would only drag me down to their level and beat me to death with experience. The devil wants to do the same. He wants to use weaker minded people to drag us down to their level. Once they do this we can easily be overtaken.

So today I encourage you to stand firm against the devil. Ephesians 6:10-18 discusses the armor that God gives us in order to be successful in this endeavor. I strongly encourage you to see your enemy for just what they are, Satan’s representative. I have learned that when I do this it helps me in several ways. First of all I see them as someone who is weak and in need of prayer. When I pray for them I also pray for God to remove all bitterness and anger from me and to give me a heart of compassion for this person. But the most powerful thing I have learned is that when I stand firm in God’s armor that He takes care of any vengeance that is due to me (Romans 12:19).  I have seen God bring my enemies down way lower than I would have ever thought of bringing them. I have seen him inflict such suffering on them that has left me feeling compassion for them and praying for God to bring them relief.

So, if you want to be victorious over your enemies, then see them for what they truly are. Stand firm in God’s word and obey His commandments. Leave all the other stuff to Him. Believe me, He’s got this! He’ll fight this battle. He just needs you to suit up and stand strong.

Have a great weekend!