Not very
long ago I came across a short clip of a Bishop T.D. Jakes sermon that gave me an
“aha” moment. To sum it up in simple
terms he was talking about how the devil and his helpers have a united front
against the things of God and the Lord’s servants. There is no conflict within the cronies of
evil, they have one purpose: to steal, kill, and destroy what is good (John
10:10). But then he went on to compare
the issues of Christians and the church with the united front of evil. Many Christians/churches on the other hand
are divided in their purpose. Instead of
being a unified body of Christ there is backbiting, divisions, and numerous
sins that tear the purpose of Jesus apart.
This is happening even though in reality we should all be together in
our purpose to overcome evil and live a life mimicking the love of Christ. Essentially the kingdom of darkness these
days seems to be more unified than the church.
Honestly while
watching this video Jakes put this concept in a new light for me, hence, the “aha”
moment. When my wheels started turning
and this information sunk in I couldn’t help but realize I myself have seen and
even been a part of this kind of disunity.
And it may sound random at this point but my mind also wandered to a
quote in one of my favorite book series “The Hunger Games.” (Okay so I love to read and could probably
tie a hundred things into talking about a book). While the main character Katniss is in the
arena where she must fight to the death, she is confused as to whom her allies
are. In an intense moment where she aims
her bow and arrow to shoot someone a previous admonition from her mentor comes
to her mind,”Remember who the real enemy is.”
And in her case it wasn’t the other people in the arena it was much
bigger. Her true enemy was the Capitol,
the “system” itself. For my own life I
can apply that statement to Satan. The battle is so much bigger than what other people do to me. He is
the real enemy.
·
When
I am hurt by something another Christian says or does…Remember who the real enemy is.
·
When
I am tempted to criticize the style of music, sermon, or the way things are
being handled at church…Remember who the
real enemy is.
·
When
I slip into gossiping about someone else’s situation…Remember who the real enemy is.
·
When
I want to retaliate after being hurt…Remember
who the real enemy is.
·
When
I see other people hurting each other and get discouraged…Remember who the real enemy is.
I am
determined to tell myself this as much as I need to, which I’m sure in my
flawed state will be daily. The bible
says,” Be alert and of sober mind. Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”(1
Peter 5:8) I don’t want to be the one
that gets devoured by all of this junk.
I don’t want to see the people around me get consumed by the schemes of
the devil. So if you take away anything
from my late night ramblings please just let it be: REMEMBER WHO THE REAL ENEMY IS!
“For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:12
