Who Is The Real Enemy?

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. James 4:1-4 NIV

When we choose to live a life in opposition to God, we end up with desires that yet remain unfulfilled and when those desires burn within, we adopt behaviors and attitudes that create even more chaos. At some point in our lives, we must come to terms with the fact that it is our desires–our obsession with controlling others and bending them to our will–that is the true enemy that lurks in our society, killing and destroying hope and joy.

Many never see the fulfillment of answered prayer because of wrong motives when seeking God and asking Him for anything and because they do not get what they want–they steal or kill to get it because the desire burning within them is greater than the desire to do what is right.

People kill other people when those they desire do not share their feelings or when they cannot change what they do that will please them. How many husbands or wives kill others to free themselves? How many insecure people destroy the lives of others because they cannot see beyond what they want and destroy entire families? For it is insecurities that motivate hatred and jealousy, but many are not willing to admit or own their weaknesses or shortcomings.

Hatred is the result of people who are insecure within themselves and want to be somebody God never intended them to be. We see this whenever someone is killed by those who have been brain-washed into believing their religious beliefs are superior to others. There is no superior religion, but there is an excellent relationship all can enjoy with God.

If we carefully examine and analyze what we “desire” we would discover that if our desires do not align with God’s Word, we become miserable and out of the misery, rises hatred, jealousy, envy and desire to make others suffer. Why? Because so many lack maturity in understanding that God did not intend for us to be clones. He created us all uniquely individual, with varying gifts and abilities–designed to make the “whole” better and effective.

So the real enemy in our midst is the “desire” to do or go beyond God’s plans for our lives. For when we go beyond God, we tend to want what the world has or wants for us and if we become carnal–friends and followers of those in the world who do not have a relationship with God, we set ourselves up for destruction.

Therefore, to eradicate the enemy within–we must see ourselves as we are and be willing to change who we are and our desires–not demanding that others change who they are. In the end, God will judge all matters and that includes the desires of our heart–especially when they lead to destruction.

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Consider Your Ways!

“Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5).

People are often amazed at the senseless violence, loss of life, destruction of families, and crimes of such magnitude that all we can do is simply shake our heads.

Inconsiderate people are incapable of thinking beyond the moment or about how their actions impact others. We see it all the time. Carelessness with campfires or even cigarette smoking–fires burning out of control, destroying property, taking lives, and ruining memories. Inconsiderate people drink and drive with no other thought other than to make themselves “feel good” when in actuality, they only feel worse. These people cause accidents-maiming and killing–and some never stop drinking and driving.

Inconsiderate people speed through neighborhoods--with no thought of children or others in wheelchairs or the elderly who cannot move as fast as they used to move. They hit people with cars and run from the scene like the cowards they really are. The cowards often leave people dead or dying and they do not care. They gave no thought to their actions.

Inconsiderate people are often greedy people who will stop at nothing to obtain what they want by any means. They rob people at gunpoint, with shovels, with knives, with threatening notes in banks and stores and care not one wit about how actions will leave a life time of tragedy in their wake.

Inconsiderate people think everyone around them wants to hear their loud, crass, raunchy music–so they play it loud enough to shake windows and interfere with other drivers and their ability to hear what is going on around them.

Inconsiderate people play pranks without thinking about all the possible consequences and some pranks have led to the death of people.

Inconsiderate people think the world evolves around them and therefore they have a right to do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it and then they complain when they have to deal with the consequences of their actions. They have never learned to “consider their ways.”

If we want to see a change in the world, we must begin in our homes and learn to be considerate of others in all we do. Loving others will bring about consideration because we would do not harm those we love. Loving others leads to considering others above ourselves. So the lack of consideration demonstrates a lack of love among many. If we cannot love self, we cannot love others. Consider your ways–do your actions demonstrate love or do they demonstrate total inconsideration regarding others. Think-love-consider all so we can live in peace and harmony and families won’t have to mourn the loss of loved ones.

 

 

Put It Down!

Whatever is keeping you from getting where you want to go, put it down.

Whatever is causing confusion in your home, on your job, or in your community, put it down.

Whatever leads you to think you have a right to take a life, put it down.

Whatever leads you to think you have a right to physically abuse someone else, put it down.

Put down the crack pipe!

Put down the weed!

Put down the cigarette!

Put down the alcohol!

Put down your hand (fist)!

Put down the gun!

Put your ego on the shelf, start listening to those who are wiser than you, and start doing what is right in the sight of God–not you! That is–if you want put down the devil and his evil ways!

 

 

Beware The Enemy

The Word tells us that we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices (or his influences). When we read the Word with understanding, we come away with knowledge and insight to detect the enemy at work within our jobs, our homes, our community, and our nation.

The enemy’s job is to steal, kill, and destroy; he is the father of liars and a master of deception. And since we know that God is not the author of confusion, guess who is? If he can confuse, he can delude (tricking people) into seeing what is not or what is not, is. Know your enemy well; recognize him for who he is and how he influences. Don’t attempt to war with flesh for the Word tells us that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God in pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations (delusions) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4,5).

Do you recognize these traits illustrated in your loved ones: Are they stealing your joy by their behavior and conduct; are they killing the desire within you to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ; are they attempting to destroy everything you have accomplished or dreamed; are they lying to you every chance they get, and are they attempting to deceive you with tricks because they think you’re stupid?

Don’t get mad at them, get mad at the devil and stomp on his head! Put your foot squarely on his neck and remind him that he has already been defeated and that you’re going to make sure he stays that way. Pray, praise, and pray some more. Pray in the natural and pray in the spirit—and teach your children how to recognize him as well and have them join in the prayer and praise fest—at home, in the car, on your job, in their school, wherever people are—expect the enemy’s influence to be present—but don’t give in to it. Recognize him at work and call him out on it. No weapon—none—that he can toss our way can in any way hurt us—unless we allow it. Glory to God in the highest! We praise You for the victory—in all things at all times. Hallelujah!