Enemy

Fortresses were not built in the middle of the plains. Rather, they were built in high places, on top of or into the side of a mountain. So, with that background, check out today’s passage.

At one time, I was an enemy of God. My back was turned on him, and I was headed in a different direction. I wanted to be the one in charge of my life and refused to acknowledge God’s authority. I wasn’t an atheist. I believed that God existed, but he was distant, and I was content to keep it that way.

Sometimes, life’s windstorms hit us hard and knock us off our feet. One person likened the storms to a blizzard and wrote, “The blizzard of the world has crossed over the threshold, and it has overturned the order of the soul.” The blizzards outside make their way inside and disrupt the rhythm of our lives. That’s what happened to Job. As we have seen, he lost everything and still praised the Lord. But Satan was merciless in his attacks. He was convinced that Job was self-centered and would turn on God when he encountered personal illness.

In our Battle Ready study, we have learned of four anchors that are foundational in all our spiritual battles. Let’s review those anchors.

I recently watched a game where one team’s best player could not participate. His injuries kept him out of the action. The cameras showed him pacing up and down, cheering from the sidelines, but unable to go out on the field. His skills were missed, and his team ended up losing the game. The enemy knows he can’t take us off God’s team, but he can sideline us. He can’t separate us from God’s love, but he can render us ineffective. Satan is always working to put us on the injured reserve list.

The Bible is a book about God, his love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption. Satan is part of the story, but he is not the focus. He is a defeated foe—but a foe, nonetheless. He is out to destroy us; we are no match for him. Let’s spend some time considering our enemy.

The spiritual battle hits us from all sides. Satan desires to keep unbelievers blind to the gospel. He is at work to discredit and destroy us. The culture around us is opposed to God. Our fleshly desires rise within our souls. The battle rages within and without. And…we must never forget—the battle belongs to the Lord!

Michael is not just any angel—he is of the highest rank of angels, an archangel who has engaged in spiritual battles. Michael the archangel is a heavyweight! He is described in three books as fighting against evil spirits and forces of darkness. When Michael was sent to help Daniel, at the angel’s touch, Daniel fell down, trembling on his hands and knees (Daniel 10:10-14). In Revelation 12, we read of Michael leading the charge against “the dragon and his angels” (Revelation 12:7). Yet, with his high standing and spiritual strength, he dared not go after Satan on his own. In a showdown with Satan described in Jude 1:9, he depended on the Lord to fight for him. So must we.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.” That’s what King David learned the hard way. Once honored as the “giant killer” and noted as the up-and-comer, he was now on the run from a jealous King Saul.