The unrelenting enemy

In accordance with the Scriptures, the Philistines are one of the most consistent enemies of Israel, as recorded in the Old Testament. They’re restless about going to war against Israel (God’s people), and even when other enemies of Israel relax, they don’t. Similarly, as God's adopted children, we face an unrelenting enemy who is constantly at war with us, even satan, also known as the devil. Note: I’m not saying that man has only one enemy, but of all the enemies of man, Satan does not relax at going to war against him.

Permit me to share this with you in the light of God’s word as it is written. Considering 1 chronicles 20:4-8;

“Verse 4: And it came to pass after this, that there arose a war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant and they were subdued. 5: And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam. 6: And yet again there was a war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand and six on each foot and he also was the son of the giant. 7: But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him. 8: These were born unto gaint in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants”.

According to the preceding verses, Israel has a tenacious enemy, a great one, who has been coming to war against Israel before that time; remember the story of David and Goliath? It is derived that the Philistines were subdued at first, but they wouldn’t just give up yet; they lost the second time, and instead of quitting, they still came again the third time and fell. They fell not because they were weak but because the verses made us understand that they were giants, which tells us that they were powerful enemies. So also Christians (Israel of today) have a number of enemies of which we will highlight three notable ones namely;

1. The Flesh:
Galatians 5:16–26: We learned from the verses that the flesh is the enemy of man because the manifestation of his works is diametrically opposed to the expected manifestation God desired to see in every man's life. Thus, it is always in conflict with the Spirit, making it a notable enemy of man. For example; the reason why some men today heartlessly defraud others is that they want to satisfy the lust of the flesh; some of them want to enjoy luxury, forgetting that life is a process and that in phases, many no longer want to labour but have money and spend money with ease. What will you say of a politician who, because he wants power at all costs, ritualizes the life of a man like himself just to get a position of influence in life? Or a young boy who is supposed to learn the ethics of hard work and diligence but drifts to Yahoo (internet fraud) just because he wants to drive the latest cars, live in a good house, and have carnal sexual relationships with ladies, some even go to the extent of doing rituals. Every part of this was a replay of the fall of man from the garden of Eden because man chose the flesh over the spirit. The flesh is one of the notable enemies every man needs to conquer to enjoy the life God has given him.

2. Sin:
(Many will say it's the world, which is correct, but you must understand that the world itself, in its own nature from the beginning of creation, is not an enemy until man is subjected to the spirit of sin in the garden of Eden, so it's not the world that's the enemy but the powers that manipulate it against God), and sin against God is a particularly grievous enemy of man. It has ended a lot of great and precious destinies. Sin is generally described in the Bible as disobedience or rebellion against God's laws or commands. It is often associated with moral wrongdoing and is considered to be the cause of spiritual separation from God. The Bible teaches that all people are sinners and in need of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:23–25: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in the blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." KJV

3. Satan:
The third is Satan, which is the most notorious of all the enemies (don’t be curious, I know you might have heard that flesh is more notorious because it’s the closest to man, but examine this; all other enemies of man are subjective to Satan in the natural state, and if allowed, Satan has the power to use them as devices even though they are enemies themselves).

Satan has not stopped working since the time he persuaded man to kill the spirit of God in him through disobedience, causing man to unleash unto himself the spirit of sin in the Garden of Eden, and he is constantly looking for ways to ensure man does not triumph, but glory be to Jesus who has given us victory over Satan. I pray that Satan will not prevail over us in Jesus name. Please let us examine some scriptures to ascertain this fact. In Mathew Chapter 4, it can be discovered that the devil also known as Satan even the tempter did not go alone to tempt Jesus but subject the two remaining great enemies to help him against Jesus; from verse 3, he proposed the flesh to Jesus but failed. Then stepped up to the spirit of sin in verses 5 and 6 to Jesus but failed again. Then he stirred himself up (the devil) to Jesus in verses 8 and 9 and totally failed. So also in 1 Chronicles 21:1, when Satan saw that all the enemies, through the human personalities called the Philistines, had stirred up against David but did not prevail, in chapter 20, he went to him personally to provoke (persuade) him to number Israel even when God warned David through Joab. Therefore, remember that Satan means business, and we need to be alert at all times. In Revelation 12:12, the word of God gave us an illustration of what to expect as long as we are on earth. Note: All other enemies of man can function as Satan’s device at any point in time, and his aim is to persuade men against the counsel of God’s word. In Jesus name, I pray that every power that seeks to corrupt us (today's Israel) fails and ceases to exist over our lives. Amen

1. Salvation:

(we have to be born again) {John 3:3 / 1 Peter 1:23} The nature of God is the only nature a man can possess to overcome his unrelenting enemy, himself. The foundation the Scriptures show us is to willingly surrender the old man, who is subject to sin, and embrace the new man, who can fully house God's nature. For through a man (Adam), sin entered the race of men, and through one man (Jesus), the nature of God is established through the Holy Spirit. Have you ever considered why, by nature, Cain killed his brother Abel even when it was not Abel that rejected his sacrifice or Have you considered why David, despite being a man after God's heart, first counted the children of Israel in 1 Chronicles 21:1:

1 Chronicles 21:1: "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." KJV

and secondly, killed Uriah to cover up his sin of impregnating Bathsheba. or Solomon, who, despite all the wisdom God gave him, had his heart turned away from the LORD by the women in his life, leading him to worship strange gods. Note: This is not to judge any man in the Bible wrongly, for there's only one judge, but to reveal to us that a man not born again by the blood of Jesus and the final sacrifice on the cross, doesn't stand a chance to overcome the devil because of the man's original sin.

2. Reading and meditating on the word of God (the Bible):

{Joshua 1:8}). One of the ways revealed to us by the Lord Jesus for overcoming the devil is through the word of God, as illustrated in Matthew 4:3-11:

Matthew 4:3-11: " ³ And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. ⁴ But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. ⁵ Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. ⁷ Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. ⁸ Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; ⁹ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. ¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. ¹¹ Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him." KJV

This is because the devil also knows the Scriptures, and if we are not well grounded in them, he can confuse us. Just imagine him going to Jesus, the word of God himself, and confronting him, quoting what is written. If he can confront Jesus with what is written, we are not exempt, but the only assurance we have in Christ is that we already have victory over him in the light of the scriptures. That is why we must constantly feed our spirits with God's word and meditate on it throughout the day and night.

3. Pray without ceasing {1 Thessalonians 5:17 / Acts 12:1-7}:

You know prayer is very important, right? When Jesus was to go to cross, he took some his disciples to a place call Gethsemane, one of whom was Peter. Jesus knew the devil was after Peter just as much as he was after Judas, but the Lord never stopped praying for Peter, even though He wanted Peter to enter that dimension of responsibility as a leader chosen by God over himself and the people he is to lead. In Matthew 26:36, 38 and Luke 22:31-32

Matthew 26:36, 38: " ³⁶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. ³⁸ Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. " KJV

Luke 22:31-32: " ³¹ And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: ³² But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. " KJV

The Lord had to pray for Peter like He is doing for every believer through the Holy Ghost in heaven today. A prayerless leader is a powerless and lifeless leader that is not safe to follow. Remember that the same Peter we are referencing was delivered from the bounds of Herod because of the gospel, but the ceaseless prayer of the brethren caused heaven to send an angel to deliver him from the prison.

Act 12:5-7: " 5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hand" KJV

From the verses above, we can say Peter was not even praying but that the church made prayer without ceasing unto God on his behalf and then God responded by sending an angel to deliver him. That's the power of praying without ceasing.

4. Fasting {Mathew 4:2}:

It is not a surprise that fasting is a key tool in defeated the devil. God through the Holy Spirit had to subject Jesus to it before facing inorder to render the flesh useless by sending Him to the wilderness for forty day and forty night. When a man fasts, it helps a man's spirit to be more influencial over him than his flesh.

5. Total submission to God (Humility) {James 4:6-7,10 / Mathew 4:1}:

The reason why Jesus was able to overcome satan was because He totally submitted to God that was why he was able to resist the devil. James 4:7 says submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

6. Unconditional love {Colossians 3:14}:

Love is one of the key that God showed us to defeat the devil. Man could have lost redemption if God's love was directly proportional to the love of God in man. This is because the same man God was trying to save by sending His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to the world crucified and condemned Jesus to the cross. A person won't know the power of unconditional love until someone you love the most betray your join evil coalition with the enemy to afflict such a man. I've had few quite experience, it can be very painful and hurtful believe me, it takes God's nature unconditional love not react wrongly.

1 John 3:8-11: " 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." KJV

7. The blood of Jesus:

The blood of Jesus, the blood of the lamb of God is an instrumental tool to overcome the devil. In short, the devil fears the blood of Jesus so much he doesn't any man to use it because he knows the potency of that blood. As children of God we must know the potency of the blood of Jesus. If Michael and his needed it to cast the devil down from heaven, we needed it to cast him down and out of our lives and daily endeavours.

Considering Revelations 12: 7-12: 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 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. 10 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. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

8. Holy Spirit: There is no victory for anyman if there is no Holy Spirit. The victory of Jesus over satan didn't started on cross, it started in the wilderness. Imagine there was no Holy Spirit to lead. Our victory over the devil is not certain if God can't lead man and God only leads man in this dispensation through the Holy Spirit. Every other leafing is a result of the activeness of the Holy Spirit in man.

Matthew 4:1: Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.