PICK UP YOUR WEAPONS AND FIGHT!...DO YOU KNOW YOUR ENEMY?

​For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ephesians 6:12
We’re in spiritual war, and our enemy does not rest. He knows us better that we know ourselves. We must look at the people as spiritual beings and not look at them at face value. For it is not the flesh that we focus on, but the spiritual principality behind the flesh. Our enemy knows our strengths as well as our weaknesses. He doesn’t forget them but uses them against us. However, we must also understand that “No weapon formed against thee shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). In Romans 8:37, The Lord gives us confirmation that the battle is already won. “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”
And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not, neither was their place found anymore in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
And I hear a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
                                                                                                             Rev 12:7-10
                When you are at war, you must know who your enemy is and what his devices are against you. Know what his tactics are. Know exactly what you are fighting for and stand firm on your belief, do not waver. So, this scripture tells us that we are fighting for salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God. It is confirmed that the battle is won; the enemy shall not prevail.
Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me saying,
Son of Man take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, thus saith the Lord God; thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
Those hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee.
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee O covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire.
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness, I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they behold thee.                                    Ezekiel 28:11-17
 
                Knowing the history of your enemy is extremely important. If someone were hateful toward you, wouldn’t you want to know why? Oftentimes, when I realize that I may have offended someone, I trace my steps back and ask myself, “What did I do?” Well, the Bible also tells us that many of His people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge. So, we must set out to know the deep things of God.
We need to know who our enemy is. He is jealous because the Lord has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly. He is jealous of our favor and what the Lord has promised us. The Word of God reassures us that eye hath no seen, nor hath ear hear, not entereth the heart of man the things which He hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9, paraphrased). In John 14:2, the Lord says, “In my father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
So, the Lord has promised everlasting life to those that believe in Him, but the time of our enemy is short, ending with him being thrown into the lake of fire. I believe this is also why the Lord says to us in 1 John 3:13, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” The world hated you because you are not of this world. The Word tells us that if we are His children then we would act like our Father. The world belongs to the Prince of Darkness. Satan is the ruler of this world, and we are hated because we are now joint heirs with Jesus Christ by His Spirit. We have been made in His image, given His power, authority, and inheritance, which the enemy is no longer privy to.
In a natural military perspective, I can make an example of the wars which were fought overseas. Initially, when our troops were sent to fight and to rebuild, there was a great resistance. Some of the citizens and the foreign governments hated us for coming in and trying to restructure and set order. When people don’t have common beliefs, things become an absolute mess. Again, I must remind you that everything is spiritual. People are willing to die for what they believe.
 Our situation regarding spiritual warfare is no different. We must be willing to die for our mission. We are here to win souls for Christ. Things must be set in order before Christ returns for His people. This will indeed cause people to hate you. As a soldier for Christ we must call our sin for what it is. Exposing sin and telling people to repent for the kingdom of God is at hand is bold, offensive, and will cause the enemy to open fire. However, we cannot be concerned with the faces, as Jeremiah reminds us. We must recognize the spirit behind the face as a potential enemy and threat and should be treated as such. #pray #trust #seek