Daily Devotional for Wednesday, September 21

Know Thine Enemy

The men grunted. Some of them groaned with pains from injuries. In front of them, a shield wall, just a thin barrier between them and the sharp points of sword, spear, and arrow. If any one of them slipped, fell, or gave up, tragedy was inevitable. The enemy is known to be ruthless. There will be no mercy. There will be no grace. It is rumored that they are not men at all. This scene has played out countless times throughout history as men and women have fought, conquered and decimated each other. Cutting into flesh and spilling blood, the struggle has pitted many, made in the image of God, against each other. 

The Holy Spirit sets the record straight for the Ephesian church. Concerned about the factions and divisions among them, Paul, under God’s inspiration, wrote that our struggle is “not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12). When a person spews a venomous word, we must look beyond them to the spiritual forces of evil who wish to divide us. When dictators inflict genocide on people groups, we must see people for whom Jesus died, instead of the powers who desire control of all that God created in its beautiful diversity. We must know the true enemy, and only then can we stand in the middle of spiritual warfare in this evil day.

REFLECTION: God has called us to reconciliation with people born of flesh and blood through the gospel of Jesus Christ who became flesh and blood for us. Remember what we really fight against!

David Thompson