Who is your enemy?

Whenever in the battle field, it’s important for one to know “who is the enemy”. Basically, it’s one important aspect or factor if you ever decide to go to war. But I wonder, do you know the moment you received Christ as your Lord and Savior, that’s the same time you decided to go to war? Although in the spiritual sense, even when we we’re born physically, we are already at war. Because from the beginning of our life (except for Adam and Eve), we we’re at war with God. We just didn’t know it.

Romans 8:7 (King James Version)
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
James 4:4 (King James Version)
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

But once you received the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, your enemy was changed. You are now against the world, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against Satan himself and his cohorts.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (King James Version)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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.

Last verse (v12) describes who now our enemy is, as Christians. For some particular people, or Christians, they think we don’t need to bother to know our enemy or know what he can do against us. But I believe, as God has given us the Scripture, and the Scripture speaks a little or perhaps enough about our enemy that proves that we Christians need to know who our enemy is and what he can do against us Christians. Here are some verses describing who our enemy is:

1 Peter 5:8 (King James Version)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
2 John 1:7 (King James Version)
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Revelation 12:10 (King James Version)
And I heard 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.
John 8:44 (King James Version)
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (King James Version)
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
John 10:10 (King James Version)
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Reading the verses above and perhaps other books that may help you to identify our enemy, we may know him as the destroyer, the deceiver, the accuser of the brethren and other names that may describe him. Basically, these names also describes what he does, like for example, the name “Destroyer”. This pertains to his ability or craftiness in destroying people’s lives. Mainly his targets are of course Christians who do the will of God. Just sighting the life of Job, Satan was allowed by God to do anything against Job except to take his life. And, indeed he was able to destroy Job’s life, seeing that his wife left him and asked him to curse God and die. He experienced pain and sickness and losing his sons and daughters. This is just one example, and we can list a lot more perhaps. “Deceiver” as we know who acts simply to deceive or mislead people to do sin. What he does is to make things wrong to become right, and right to become wrong in the eyes of men. Being known also as the” Accuser”, or Accuser of the brethren, primarily to really target believers and accuse them of their old sins or past sins. By doing this, Christians who are weak and give in to the accusations of the enemy and does not hold on to the Righteousness of Christ which was imputed upon us (Romans 4, 2 Corinthians 5:21), is the enemies’ target.

So be warned and be ready. A soldier of the Lord should know who is his enemy.