Who is Your Enemy?

Ephesians 6:12-13, 16-17

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Who is your enemy? Maybe when you heard that you thought about a person, maybe it’s that coworker that always seems to get under your skin. Maybe it’s that neighbor or acquaintance that is always trying to outdo you. Maybe it’s that politician who seems bent on turning this nation upside down and opposing God.

And they have opposed God, all of them. But then again, so have we. Right? Because we’re lost and broken. And that’s what they are as well. And those people that we consider sometimes to be enemies, they’re those that need to know Jesus as their Savior. They’re the ones that need to know the hope that we have in him. And to treat them as enemies could be counterproductive and push them away from Christianity.

So who are our enemies? Well, Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians Chapter six, he writes

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

The devil, the world, our flesh. These are enemies. The forces of darkness. Spiritual forces of darkness. And they are defeated. Jesus defeated them on the cross by his death, by his glorious resurrection. But they’re still allowed to haunt us and tempt us.

What’s our defense? Well, Paul writes in verse 13.

For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

And then in verse 16.

At all times hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. Also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:16-17)

We take up the word, this is our defense. This is our weapon against our true enemies, against the devil, the world in our flesh. And those people around us sometimes seem like our enemies. They’re the lost and the wounded. Our calling is to love them and share with them the hope that we have in Jesus. May God bless us as we do. Amen.