Thirteen: A Old Enemy
When you trusted in jesus…
We’ve all had experiences where someone worked against us, made fun of us or, in some cases, outright attacked us. When this behavior goes beyond a one-time incident, you have yourself an enemy. For many of us, we’ve only experienced this in a more playful way within sports or, at worst, where someone at school or work tried to sabotage us. Thankfully, most of us have not experienced enemies who are willing to go to great lengths to destroy us or even end our lives, although many such enemies exist in the world. Hopefully, you’ve also not experienced what it’s like to be seen as an enemy by someone else, rightly or wrongly. Even if you haven’t personally experienced true enemies, you are certainly aware of what they are like, through the countless villains portrayed within movies, books, shows, or the news, from Hitler to Voldemort. When you trusted in Jesus, you gained an enemy who was there all along: the Devil.
This enemy, who goes by many names—including Satan, Lucifer, the Devil, the serpent, etc.—has been trying to destroy God’s creation and people from the beginning. In the first book of the Bible (Genesis), we see this enemy, in the form of a snake, successfully tempt, lie too and deceive the first humans, Adam and Eve. In this first encounter, we witness his greatest strategy to attack us: lies and deception. Jesus even refers to him as the father of lies, having thousands of years of practice, and often mixing his temptations and deceits with bits of truth to increase their potency. The Bible also says that whether we were aware or not, before trusting in Jesus, we were on the devil’s team (Ephesians 2:1-3). We formerly followed him in his rejection and rebellion against God and His ways. When you trusted in Jesus, you also entered a spiritual battle, switching sides and allegiance, making you a friend of God and enemy of the Devil.
So far, this all may sound intimidating, but the truth is that Jesus has already defeated this foe’s greatest weapons when He conquered sin and death through His own death and resurrection. When Jesus walked the earth, He regularly confronted and claimed authority over demons, the Devil’s workers, and He has given this same authority to us. Additionally, the Bible states that in the future, the Devil will be eternally imprisoned; in reality, we are fighting a defeated foe (Revelation 20:10). That said, Satan still spends every moment of his remaining existence trying to deceive, destroy and enslave people to his will, as many as he can. It is our job, by the authority and truth we have in Jesus, to see through his lies and temptations and help others to do the same. To pray against his schemes and attacks, often unseen, and to rejoice in the fact that if the Devil is fighting against us, it is only because we are seen as a true threat. So, be on guard and learn to separate the lies he spreads throughout your life and the culture more broadly, knowing that you have authority over him and that he is ultimately a defeated enemy!