Studying the Enemy

There was a small congregation in a really good town in Mexico where I used to live. It was a Sunday morning, and all the members were getting ready to sit down, and the song leader stood up and announced the first song. Right before they could sing the first part of the song, they heard this incredible noise, like thunder, in the midst of the congregation. No one could explain what was that noise. Suddenly, this black cloud of smoke started to fill up the auditorium and from the middle of that cloud, a very deep voice says, I am Satan!. Immediately the members of this congregation started to run outside the building to escape from this situation. But only one member of this congregation stayed there in the very last pew. His name was Pedro because we need to remember that this happened in Mexico. Satan gets close to Pedro and asks him, “Do you know who am I?” And Pedro answered, “Yes I do know who you are!” Satan could not understand why Pedro did not run like the rest of the people, but instead stayed there sitting on the pew. Satan decides to ask Pedro, “Are you afraid of me?” And Pedro said with a sarcastic sound in his voice, “Me, afraid of you? I have been married to your sister for five years and the worst thing is that your mother still lives with us!” I’m very sure that by now you have realized that this is only a funny story that I wanted to share with you. What can we learn from this little story? Pedro knew the weak point of our common enemy and that is how he defeated him. Do we know the weak point of our common enemy?

Get Knowledge

Many times we can relate Christians to soldiers because of the way that we live day by day, fighting constantly against those things that can take our eternal lives. Nowadays, we get so involved in so many things that take away our time from studying God’s word. We get so busy doing this dangerous routine, that it is killing us slowly. Soldiers are given a certain mission to accomplish, just as Christians are given a certain mission to accomplish. How can we accomplish this mission if we do not even know what we need to do? It is time to study and to gain knowledge. Proverbs 4:5 says, “Get wisdom, get understanding, do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.” Colossians 1:10-11 says, “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power; for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” God commands us to get this knowledge that will enable us to understand His word and spend eternity with Him. Knowledge from God will make us live a better life, more secure of where we will spend eternity.

Against Whom Are We Fighting?

The book of Ephesians clarifies against who we are fighting. Not a physical battle, but rather a spiritual one. It is sometimes hard to live a life where we have to say “No!” to friends, family, job opportunities, and habits that will harm our eternal life. We live in a world that has forgotten, that in heaven, there is an Almighty God capable of creating beautiful things and destroying with a tremendous power, and this world is leading so many of our brethren to perdition. Who is our biggest enemy? The world? Think about this carefully. Who is our biggest enemy? That enemy who will do everything to separate us from entering into heaven? Our biggest enemy is ourselves. Yes! Your eyes are reading this correctly, because we are the only ones who will take that first step to get closer and closer to God. We are the only ones who can choose to follow God or not to follow Him. And do you know who’s fault it is going to be if we do not get to heaven? It will be our own fault.

How Can We Defeat Our Enemy?

First of all we need to learn to put away the things that will hinder us from getting to our goal. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” We need to have a catalyst that will motivate us to keep running this race to heaven, and as Christians, we have a common catalyst and that is our love towards God. Do we have enough love for God that we will start working for Him?

Sometimes we do not realize what we had until we lose it, right? Will these be your final words in the judgement day?