The Enemy (Psalm 143:3)

The Psalmist declares, "The enemy hath persecuted my soul."  With this statement we are forced to ask ourselves, "Who is the enemy?"  When you can identify the enemy, you can best recognize his tactics and defend yourself against their attacks.  But again, who is the enemy?

I seems best to first recognize who is not the enemy.  The enemy is not a person.  Some may incorrectly identify their boss, spouse, neighbor, the lost or even disciples of other religions as their enemy.  This may appear to be true, but is not.  Remember, Paul said that we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore people will not and cannot ever be our true enemy.  

Our enemy is a spiritual enemy.  Ephesians 6:12 states, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  These spirit beings may be oppressing people to move against you and if so, they are the enemy and the individual is just their pawn.  The boss who rides his employee because he is a Christian is not the enemy, but a tool used by the enemy.  Those who attack believers by speaking lies, backbiting or spreading gossip are nothing more than the same.  Children who depart from Christ and seek to attack their family for their beliefs are just tools in the enemy's hand.  Against earthly people, we cannot fight nor can we win because the battle is so vast. However we can fight against our true enemy.

Our method of warfare is prayer.  We must pray to God against the true spiritual enemy.  As God thwarts their wiles against you, the tools or pawns in their hands crumble.  When we fight our battles in this manner and recognize that people in our lives are but tools in the enemy's hand, it enables us to love our earthly opponents and to have empathy towards them.  We marvel when we hear how a believer reaches out to people in this manner.  We think them to be spiritual giants, but all they simple have that we may not is the spiritual insight to recognize who the enemy really is.

As you fight your way through your battles today, make sure that you do it on your knees.  It is there that the true enemy is defeated.