The Real Enemy

“…stand firm against the schemes of the devil…” Eph 6:11b

It’s hard sometimes to be motivated to do things if you don’t understand why. Why do we need to stand in the strength and power of His might, and put on the full armor of God? Because there is a real, live, vicious enemy out there.

Now Note: We’re never told to attack. We’re told to stand firm. We’re told to resist. For us to know the enemy, is of deep importance, Isa 14:12-17;
Ezek 28:11-19. The devil was created as Lucifer, the anointed cherub, one who covers, fell because of pride. A third of the angels fell with him, Rev 12:3-4.

Jesus believed in him,He talked with him, Matt 4:1-11, and He talked about him, John 12:31;14:30;16:11. The apostles believed in him, Paul talked about him, I Cor 7:5; I Thess 2:18, Peter talked about him, I Pet 5:8, and James talked about him, James 4:7.

Jesus hated sin, and loved sinners, because He knew that the sinner was not the enemy. The real enemy is he who is behind the sinner, the “god of this world.” According to II Cor 4:4 “...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” We should feel a loving, sympathetic, gracious, merciful pity toward sinners, because they’re just dupes of Satan. II Tim 2:26

Man is not the enemy, our enemy is beyond the human level. The point that Paul is trying to make, is that our battle is not a human battle, but a supernatural one. Because of this, we can’t fight on our own, we must put on God’s armor and appropriate God’s power.