Who is my enemy? Is it the person next to me? Is it a corrupt government? Is it a terrorist? Who is our enemy?

As the Lord dropped the title for this post in my mind, I began to meditate on it. I began to realize that the first answers that popped into my mind were incorrect. Almost as soon as I began to write I thought of the scripture, Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle (fight) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” I wrote a post previously on the Armor of God and this verse is right in the midst of it. One thing that is very interesting is the only post I receive any spam on is the Armor of God. The enemy doesn’t want us to know how to fight and where to focus this fight. He wants us to fight and destroy each other. This way we fight his fight for him. We need to turn it around on him.

Every day we are bombarded with news headlines and propaganda. We are led to believe that certain individuals, groups and countries are our enemies. Sometimes it is difficult to stay focused on the truth. Something I am going to start doing, because I just received the revelation, is start looking for who my brothers and sisters are? Where are they? When can I meet them? As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a big family. Some we won’t meet until we enter eternity or until the Lord establishes His kingdom on this earth, but what about now? I meet new brothers and sisters all the time. Some have even been my enemy in the flesh or so I thought. It is possible that someone reading this blog will become my new brother or sister and that would be wonderful.

I always think of Saul of Tarsus when I think of an enemy who became a brother. Acts 9:1-31. Here was this man going zealously after the Christians. He was a man of the law and He hated the Jesus people. He even witnessed the stoning of Stephen and the mention of his name put fear in most Christian’s hearts. Then Jesus showed up and the rest is history. His life changed in an instant, his eyes were opened and now the same zeal that persecuted the Christians was now proclaiming the Gospel. How awesome is our God! Sing it and shout it because it is true. The person we are having the most difficult time with can be our closest friend tomorrow. It happens all the time. Who is our enemy?

Our greatest enemy is fear. I remember when I was bound by fear. I stayed in this one little area of my life because it was safe. Tragedy was the main thing that brought me there. It took several years to get out of that place. While in that place, I realized who I was and just how much I could accomplish with human hands, absolutely nothing. The Lord never left me during that time, in fact, he sent others to me to help. If you were to look at my life during that time, you might have judged the situation differently. Herein lies the problem with our judgments and opinions. We can’t, nor do we know what someone else is really going through unless we go through it also.

Bullies, cowards, terrorists and the like live in fear. They all fit into the same category of fear and it is only degrees of violence that separate them from one another. They would like us to think otherwise, however it takes courage and a strong character to admit things, especially that we might be wrong. What will people think? How will they react? Will I will be exposed again?

Who are these people? They’re the ones who most likely have been crushed by someone close, maybe abused, ridiculed, and told a bunch of lies. They are hurt, broken, and bruised and they are really looking for love. Everyone is looking for true love. How will they ever find it if no one shows them? Why do they fight and how can they be so violent? I believe they are like a wounded dog that feels cornered. It doesn’t matter who the next person is that approaches them, they are going to strike out, even if that person came only to help. Now the person that came to help can assess the situation in two different ways. Number one, they might give up and walk away wounded themselves and think that the person doesn’t stand a chance. Number two, another person might be able to see through all the pain, grief, and brokenness and reach out anyway while taking every blow from the person. Once the wounded one sees that they won’t get hit back, they start to receive some comfort. After a period of time a relationship develops and the wounds get healed. If everything continues to go well, they can become whole. Remember the demoniac in the gospels. This person was totally given over to demonic spirits. He was a totally different person when Jesus set him free. Mark 5:1-20.

Who will be that person? Who will dare to reach out to others no matter the cost? Who will share the love of Christ? Is another soul worth it? How can we do this? Walk with the Lord, lay down our lives and let Him live through us. Is it easy, no. It is impossible without Him. Is it worth it? Only you know the answer to this question. Who is your brother? Who is your sister? Who is your enemy?

Please don’t get the wrong impression from this message. I am not saying we shouldn’t have laws and justice. We need these things and it is right. I am saying that as far as it is within our means and with the Lord’s direction, we should extend His love towards those who might not deserve it. Please catch the spirit of the message, love. Love is gentle and firm. God’s love is different from our definition of love.

My friend, one person can make a difference. Saul (Paul), witnessed the stoning of Stephen who forgave all those in attendance. Later on, this one person wrote most of the New Testament. There are many stories of one person who has made a difference. May we also be like them. May our treasure be in heaven and may we hear the words, “Well done, My good and faithful servants.”

Joseph