Who is our real enemy?

“Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage. Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer, for you are destined for all things and will rise victorious.” (Ephesians 6:12-13, TPT)

In order to win any battle, we must know our enemy. My brother-in-law made a career out of service in the Army. One thing he said that I’ll never forget is how much time they spent studying the enemy. They analyzed their every move and battle strategy. It was a matter of life or death and victory or defeat. The same is true of our spiritual warfare.

The scripture above is a wonderful description of exactly who we are battling, and we must get past thinking we are fighting each other. Our true enemy would love for us to waste our time blaming others for everything wrong in our lives. Notice in the last line that satan is referred to as “the slanderer.” In John 8:44, Jesus said, “He is the master of deception and the father of lies.” The scripture in Ephesians above tells us we fight against satan and his demons. Look at this next one:

“Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord. The Accuser, satan, was there at the angel's right hand, making accusations against Jeshua.” Zechariah 3:1, NLT

The word tells us in numerous places that satan is constantly accusing us of behaving contrary to what a child of God would do. He is “a liar, and the truth is not in him.” The enemy not only goes before God’s throne to accuse us (see Job 2:1-6), but he is also continually in someone’s ear whispering lies to tempt them to lash out, abuse, or in some other way harm or wreak havoc in their lives. We can open a door by dwelling on things or events, causing us to find ourselves angry or resentful all over again about something we thought we had let go of long ago. This is why it is so vitally important to recognize and acknowledge our real enemy.

One of our favorite expressions is, “Look past the person.” It means looking for the real reason for their attack, outlash, etc. If we would only stop and take a moment to think about what or who is motivating their actions, we would be more empathetic and less likely to react negatively in retaliation. In an earlier reading plan, I wrote about a strategy called Pause, Ponder, Pray. It is very relevant here because we need to step back for a moment when faced with a challenging situation and pause, think about it—what is the real motivation here—and pray about how to respond or whether to respond at all. We need to pray for the person and take the higher road, realizing the enemy would love to “push our buttons” and cause us to lose the spiritual ground we have worked so hard to gain.

Have you ever had someone say something to you and it cut deeply? Maybe you weren’t sure how they meant it or you were struggling with why they would say such a thing. But later, when you confronted them about it, they swore they never said it? Have you ever considered the possibility they honestly don’t remember saying it? Just think about it for a minute. satan is not above using those around us to discourage us, cause us to hate one another, feel resentment, and the list goes on and on. I have had people deny they said or did something more times than I care to remember. Yet, I came to understand that “people” are not my enemy.

My Prayer for You

Eternal God, I come before you in prayer for the person reading this plan you inspired. Let them come to understand their true enemy is not your children. Just as your Word tells us, our true enemy and accuser is satan. He leads the charge to kill, steal, and destroy. I ask you to put a shield and hedge around them to protect them from the lies and attempts to discourage and wreak havoc in their lives. Give them wisdom and discernment in every situation. Let them be quick to forgive and show mercy, grace, and love in times of confusion and pain. I also ask they be shown mercy, grace, and love as well. Give them supernatural favor on their journey to draw nearer to you. We come boldly before your throne and ask these things by the power and authority of Jesus Christ, our King. Amen!

Declaration / Affirmation (read aloud)

I am a child of the Most High God. As His child and inheritor of the faith, I am well-equipped to stand against the attempts of our true enemy to cause distraction and disruption in my life and the lives of my loved ones. I am surrounded by legions of angels ready to intercede on my behalf. I am never alone. My Father provides me with all the gifts and weapons needed to defeat the enemy. I will live each day in the shadow of His wings, where I am protected and delivered all the days of my life.