If you know your enemy, there is a good chance you can defeat him, if you do not, you will more than likely succumb to him. This is a very loose translation from “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, a book written many centuries ago.
The Christian has human enemies upon this planet, but the Christian community has not only forgotten who their enemy is, much less the way to defeat him, but has determined that love without discretion seems to be the only path available to them, or at least in their minds the only one that is Christ-like in nature. Many seem to believe that holding a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other is not the way of Christ, that this was only for the days of Nehemiah. (4:17) They believe that the Word of God in Deuteronomy 17:2-13 that tells us that evil men are to die or the remaining evil will be emboldened has been superseded by this love of Christ that, in their minds, tells us that we should just lay on the ground and beg to be beaten further. A strong analogy, but nonetheless true. “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.” (Luke 11:21) “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.” (Matt. 24:43)
These Christians have much difficulty seeing the evil, until it is right in front of their face, they will accept that Satan and his emissaries are real, but to them they are invisible, an unknown force that produces terrible events but can never be pinpointed, they for the most part will refuse to admit that the wrath of God abides on the wicked, for to them to admit so would mean to believe that men are evil, and not just capable of evil acts. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12) These principalities have a face, they are not invisible, they are not human beings who have fallen into the trap of sin and are now being manipulated by the master puppeteer, they have chosen disobedience to God of their own free will, they are the chosen vessels of destruction, (Romans 9:22) and they have walked on this planet since Cain slew his brother. (Gen. 4:8)
If you do not understand your enemy, you will be defeated. I would ask you to contemplate for a moment the past, when was the last time the church you attend had an extensive study of Satan, of the adversary himself. I thought so. We are taught by those that have been placed above us the way of love, this foremost attribute of the Most High, but not of the way to defeat or even stand when the enemy approaches. Nearly every church now sets a standard for self-awareness of personal sin, but not of how to stand against the enemy. Some are aware of the armor of God, (Eph. 6:13-17) few know how to put it on much less use it against the enemy. And that enemy is nearly always taught as some malevolent, evil, unseen force, no face is put upon it. Where is this “spiritual darkness” in high places, who are the principalities and powers, can you put a face on them, can you point to another human being and say, “That is an evil man.”
A shunned topic in nearly every church on the planet today, for we have come to believe that all have goodness within them, that if they could only hear about Christ they would repent, change their ways, and come into the light from the darkness. If you do not understand your enemy’s ways and tactics, you will lose the battle every single time.
Men do not need the presence of Satan to commit evil, this is well documented in the Book of Revelation, men will create evil while he is chained in the pit for a thousand years, evil, sin against the known will of God, is prevalent in man without our adversaries intervention. Here is the part you must come to understand, in the eyes of the Lord, all who will not accept His Son as Savior are evil, they are wicked, and the wrath of God abides on them. It matters not if they are a mass murderer or a baker of cookies for their grandchildren. The principalities we fight against are all those who will not bow the knee to the Most Holy. Now that you know who your enemy is, what are you going to do about it.
