But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.  Exodus 23:22 NIV

This scripture passage is an awesome promise God is making to the Israelites after they have left Egypt and are heading to the promised land.  You see, God tells them in the verse prior to this one that he will send an angel before them to protect them on their journey and lead them safely to the place He has prepared for them. He warns them not to rebel, or their rebellion will not be forgiven. In Psalm 91, God promises to give his angels guard over us to protect us lest we stub our foot on a stone.

God tells them if they are careful to obey Him and follow all his instructions, He will oppose those who oppose them. When we are careful to obey God, we can trust that He’s got our back. He will take care of us and deal with our enemies.

Now, if you have read through the whole story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt, you know it took them 40 years to make a 14-day trip.  This was due to their repeated bouts of disobedience.  God did protect them throughout their journey, and He did honor those who were faithful to Him. But even Moses did not make it into the promised land due to his own disobedience.

We can walk in obedience and let God handle our enemies and oppose those who oppose us or we can be rebellious and suffer the consequences.  It’s not rocket science, people.  It’s really a lot simpler than we make it out to be.  The Bible is our instruction manual for living in a way that pleases God.  Let me tell you something, my friend, if you make God happy, God makes you happy.  It’s super simple. Every day, the devil will try to get us off track.  He will try to deceive us into believing that right is wrong and wrong is right.  He will try to turn us against people who walk in obedience.  He will try to turn us against those who can mentor us in walking in obedience. We must make a choice each day to follow God and be obedient to Him.  Once you make that choice, pray to God to help you to do just that.  God wants you to succeed.  He knows that your obedience brings success and He will be glad to help you, but you have to ask.

Let me say this, I consider myself a generally likable person.  I have a lot of friends. But I also have enemies.  I have faced enemies within my family.  I have faced enemies within my church.  The devil will set people up to come against us.  The devil does not want us to be happy.  The best way to be prepared is to walk in obedience to God.  Let God deal with your enemies.  I promise you, He deals with them much more harshly than you would ever dream of doing.

So, as you go through this day, commit to be obedient to God.  Pray to Him and ask for his help in being obedient and staying on track.  Pray for him to give you discernment so that you will not be deceived. Then strive to walk in obedience.  He will send his angel before you to protect you.  He will be an enemy to your enemies, and He will oppose those that oppose you. I am glad to know this.  It makes my life much easier.  I hope that it helps you as well.

Have a great day!