The word enemy will probably almost always be synonymous with the word hater or someone that resist you, or better yet one who is continually fighting against you.
It is odd for us to view those that hate us, as a benefit to our lives. A big mistake that we stumble upon with our enemies is we become an enemy to them. In doing this, we set the stage for flesh and blood battle, which was supposed to be spiritual, and that will ultimately conclude in failure for us. God's word informs us that we wrestle or fight not against flesh and blood, but, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12).
Principalities, powers, rulers, and spiritual wickedness are all spiritual entities (not physical) influencing physical beings (flesh and blood). So, in essence, the person or persons that you have labeled as your enemy was and, if present, is only performers of the influence made on them by one or more of these four evil spirits that are aware of your future greatness.
Now, every enemy that you would encounter in your life has been strategically engineered and purposely allowed by God to enter your life. Surprise right? The reason for this is two-fold. A) God, in his remarkable wisdom, always empowers your enemy with the ability to see in you what you do not see in yourself. B) At the same time, you are being trained and developed through patience, only using the challenges that are continually arising against you to advance you to the next stage of your life.
I mentioned the phrase patients only because it is the only tool that you will possess that will assist in the success and purpose of exposing why this is all happening to you. To bring more clarity to this, let look at the definition of the word patience. Patience is defined as the ability to put up calmly with delay, inconvenience, or annoyance without becoming angry or upset. To further build upon this vital point, let's look at what the scripture has to say about patience and its necessity to us. The Apostle Paul said, "Knowing this, that the testing of your faith is producing patience. Let patience do her complete work so that you could become complete lacking nothing" (James 1:3-4).
To make sense of all that I am attempting to convey to you, you have to see all of this from a spiritual perspective. In viewing it from that angle, you must come to acknowledge that biblical principles will be the replacement for your physical weapons, such as hate envy, cursing, being spiteful, and our personal one, revenge. For the most part, even if you don't read your Bible, the general rule is to do the opposite of what your enemy is doing to you (Matt. 6: 27-28)
Another word that is synonymous with the word enemy is the word adversary. This is an exciting word because one of the definitions of this word is: an opponent. An opponent is one that is on the opposite side of a contest or a war…………… mighty God!
The truth is you are literally in a spiritual battle, clearly one that you are not aware of. This war objective is to distract, delay, destroy, frustrate, confuse, and ultimately annihilate all hope and evidence of the beautiful and carefully planned future that God has already prepared for you.
I mentioned earlier that your enemy has been gifted by God to see in you what you do not see in yourself, which is another indicator that they are not in your life by accident. I am about to show you from a biblical story the evidence of this grand revelation.
In first Samuel, chapter one, we are told of a classic story where there was a man who had two wives. One of the wives had children for this man, and the others could not. The story goes on to say that when the man would return from his yearly worship, he would visit the wife that had kids and gave them an abundance of resources, and then he would visit the barren wife and supplied her with resources.
The story surprisingly continues, by saying that the wife, who had the children and clearly got more in resources than the barren wife, became an adversary to her.
Now, before we proceed further with this story, isn't it ironic that, for the most part, your rivals or enemies are almost always in a much better position than you? A better job, more money, well connected, good job position, has more favor, etc. Now let's look at it logically, why would someone who exceeds you materially and physically in almost everything become an enemy to you? This just doesn't make any sense at all…. Right!
Now let's take a refined look at it, could it be that they see someone great, with tremendous potential, and the ability to outdo them physically and materially if given the opportunity? The word embellish is defined as making something look more significant than what it appears to be, or to improve by adding details to bring about more magnificent beauty. The point I am trying to make here is. It is definitely nothing that you possess materially that has made them your enemy. Instead, it is merely them seeing you greater than you appear to yourself; thus, confirming your future potential and greatness; you are embellishing when they view you. Consequently, unknowing to you, they become provoke through intense jealousy and pool all their resources to oppose you."
The story now continues by confirming my point, God eventually blessed the womb of the barren woman, and she brought forth one of Israel's greatest prophets in the person of Samuel. Also, during the period of her adversary taunting and mocking her, she prayed more, seek God more, became more committed to her God, something she probably would have never done under normal circumstances. So the very area she was being fought in was the very area that God through her enemy was training and developing her to embrace the next level of her life……my God, I love this!
Folks! You have to get this, please do not, and I repeat, do not become an enemy of your enemy…… this is why Jesus himself said, love those that hate you and do good to those that do evil to you. All because they are characters playing their role on your stage of life to advance you, YOU NEED YOUR ENEMIES!!!!
Jesus Christ could not be crucified without Judas; King David could not become Israel's greatest king without Saul. Joseph could not be second in charge of Egypt without his brothers becoming an enemy to him….. are you getting this folk? Good can not be achieved without the opposition of evil, or else you can not determine what good is. There must be opposition.
Please! Stop fighting your enemies; discontinue the pettiness, being angry, bitter, angry, frustrated, and the likes. In doing this, you are lengthening the process. Your enemies are woven into your future greatness; you can not become that person God wants you to become without the resistance by the assistance of your enemy. In fact, the Bible commands us to bless them when they curse us……..
Ok! You still don't seem convinced, so let's dig a little deeper. Now, remember, I have repeatedly mentioned that your enemy's primary reason for fighting you is that they see the potential for greatness in you; of course, they won't tell you that, nevertheless, they do. Even though you are broke! Less educated and the least among your peers, they still find the time to harass you.
Remember Joseph? The young man whose brothers sold him into slavery. The BibleBible said that his brothers were jealous of him. My question would be why when they were in a better position than him. Joseph being almost the youngest, stood to receive the least of his father's estate if his father were to die. So again, why did they choose to be an adversary to Joseph?
The Bible began to tell the story about a few dreams Joseph had. The first dream Joseph said, he dreamt that he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field, and all of a sudden, his sheaf arose and stood upright; and then his brothers' sheaves stood around his sheaf and paid respect or homage to his sheaf, the dream ended.
Carefully observe his brother's response to his dream, and his brothers said, "Shall you rule over us? Or shall you have dominion over us? The Bible continues by saying they hated him even more.
Joseph never said that he would rule over them. Neither did he say he wanted to have dominion over them. However, through his dream, they saw that Joseph was destined for greatness, to the point that they could not keep the thought to themselves but, their hate for him made them verbally communicate what they really thought of him…….Why are your haters always discussing you???????
So, the scripture has proven that your enemy sees in you what you don't see in yourself. Make no mistake God himself had orchestrated all of this because he needed to train and develop Joseph for the future leader and administrator that he would become. The evidence that this is all God's doing. Psalm:105:17,19-20-21) said that He (God) sent Joseph before them, who was sold as a servant, until the time that his word came; the word of the Lord through his enemies was testing him and developing him for the next level of his life. Then the king set him lose and made him ruler………….mighty God, man you'll get this?
The second dream that Joseph had he shared with his brothers; he dreamt that the sun and the moon and the eleven stars paid homage to him, this time he also shared it with his father, and the Bible said his father rebuked him. The father said, what kind of dream is this, shall myself, your mother and brothers bow ourselves to you?
Joseph's father here represents the leader, now replace Joseph in this dream with yourself, and now ask yourself why is it that your boss, your wife, your husband, your co-worker or better yet those who firmly exist in your circle has become an open or covert adversary to you?
Again, Joseph never communicated to these people that he was better than them or wanted to rule over them, yet they knew inwardly that he was destined for greatness. So the natural response of haters when you share parts of your life with them would be to rebuke, belittle, or discourage you in an attempt to abort what time is advancing you to.
I know you don't want to hear what I am about to say next, but it is indeed a fact. Everyone that achieves greatness made it by submitting themselves in a hostile environment. Whomever or whatever is opposing you can not fight you forever, there is a season assigned to that situation, the situation becomes longer when you become an enemy to the person that's an enemy to you.
The reality is God has placed them there in your life purposely; there is absolutely no other way you can become that world changer without evil always opposing you. That relationship that you're in that seems like some x-box game and feel as if its never going to end with the shouting, yelling, cursing is only enduring this long because you won't submit. The lesson is in your submission.
Stop asking the person or environment to change; it will not happen. The change begins with you. So, in conclusion, the general law that governs everything that I have said to you thus far is found in Romans 7:21, and it reads. I find then a LAW, that whenever I would do good evil is present with me, evil has a legal right to resist you in your efforts to pursue good or greatness, so get over it already.
THERE CAN BE NO GOOD OR GREATNESS WITHOUT THE RESISTANCE BY THE ASSISTANCE OF AN ENEMY.
By: Kevin L A Ewing
kevinewing@coralwave.com
kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
