KNOWING YOUR ENEMY(Regaining Spiritual Power)

We are in the thick of the Basket ball season. After a brief bump in the road, where our Celtics lost three of four games in mid-November, all seems to be right again in Boston. The Celts are riding high with a five-game win streak. To ensure his team’s victory any good coach understands that knowing the strengths and weaknesses of his own team is only half the game; knowing and understanding the opponents personnel is the other half. Basket ball strategist Clint Adkins says, “Learning about the opponent is best accomplished by scouting, which includes going to opponents games, watching tapes of them play and looking for players statistics.”

Scouting is not only used in basket ball games but also in military combating. This is not a new thing; it was used a long time ago by military strategist Moses when he dispatched the first CIA (Canaan Investigation Agency) ever. He sent out twelve spies with specific instructions to investigate the land of Canaan: “See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they un-walled or fortified?”(Numbers 13: 18-20)

In my previous message I have shared that whether we like it or not, whether we are prepared or not we have an enemy to fight and a war to win. This is unlike any other warfare; this is Spiritual Warfare. The enemy we are dealing with is much smarter, more powerful and wiser than we think and above all he is vicious and wickedly harmful. He has a bagful of schemes and plans to deceive and possibly destroy God’s people. As a good spiritual coach and a caring pastor I do not want any one of us to be as gullible and ignorant as to succumb to his tactics.

How can we fight the enemy on a daily basis? How can we become victorious in our battles? At the end of every famous GI Joe episode, the network would play on the famous GI Joe Public Service announcement it would always go something like this: The Kids would say "Thanks now we know. G.I. Joe Soldier would respond saying "knowing is half the battle!" in the same way knowing about the origin, the nature, strengths, limitations, his battle strategies and the destiny of our enemy is half the battle. So let’s explore.

I. THE ORIGIN OF SATAN
All Bible believing Christians acknowledge the reality of Satan or the Devil. I Peter 5:8, “Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the Devil.” The word Satan both in Hebrew& Greek means adversary, the accuser, the superhuman figure, the enemy of God and his people. Has Satan always existed like God or has been created at one point? What does the Bible say about his origin? Though we don’t read much about how he was created; nonetheless he was a created being like everything else.Colossians 1:16 “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” All things; yes including Satan was created by God.

II. THE FALL OF SATAN:

When we think of Satan or the Devil we imagine a shady character in dark clothes, with two horns on his head, two wings, long tail, with a pitch fork in hand terrorizing people. Neither does he walk around with a red band on his forehead which says “SATAN.” When God created Satan was he as ugly and bad as Hollywood and cartoonists tend to project? No! Like everything else that God created he was a good Cherub (angel); God anointed him and placed him as a guardian cherub. “He was the model of perfection full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezekiel 28:12).
He was blameless until wickedness was found in him. In other words until Satan sinned. What was his wickedness? What caused Satan to loose his position of being the guardian worshipping angel? The scripture says, that his heart became proud because of his beauty and wisdom, he exalted himself above God. Therefore God drove him in disgrace from the mountain of God to the earth.( Ezekiel 28:16,17) along with him he brought a third of angels who later became his followers, (Rev 12:4). He’s now along with his evil forces fighting for control of the world and the souls of humans. Pride became the downfall of SATAN.

What does the Bible have to say about Pride?
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn't a technology problem like radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship's presence nearby. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.

At times we take pride in our achievements, and accomplishments, thinking that it was all because of us. But we fail to give the glory back to God who enables us to accomplish things.
May we learn from this call for National humiliation and Fasting & Prayer day by Abraham Lincoln on April 30th 1863.

Excerpts from that proclamation: “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!”
While much can be said about pride, here we have an example in Abraham Lincoln who was humble enough to call the nation back to acknowledge their sin of pride and ask God for his mercy and forgiveness.

III. THE NATURE OF SATAN:
The Bible doesn’t keep silent when it comes to exposing Satan. There are number of names mentioned for Satan in the Bible which give us a glimpse into the nature of Satan.
Accuser (Rev 12:10),
Beelzebub (Mt 12:24)
Devil (Mt 4:1)
God of this age (2 Co 4:4)
Murderer (John 8:44)
Prince of Demons (Mt 12:24)
Prince of the kingdom of the Air (Eph 2:2)
Prince of this world (John 14:30)
Ruler of darkness (Eph 6:12) Serpent (Gen 3:4) Tempter Mt 4:3) Unclean Spirit (Mt 12:43) Evil one Mt 13:19)

Jesus further revealed the nature of Satan by saying, John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 8:44 “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Satan has been a liar, murderer and deceiver from the beginning. Satan deceived Eve by causing her to question the goodness, love and motives of God. Did God really say? You must not eat from any fruit from any tree in the Garden? In other words has God placed any restrictions? He created a doubt in the mind of Eve, to further strengthen that doubt he told her a half truth, “You will not surely die” your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil.” Nancy Leigh Demos the author of “Lies Women Believe” says, “Eve had listened to that lie, believed that lie, and acted on that lie. Every problem, every war, every wound, every broken relationship, every heartache—it all goes back to one simple lie.”

Sin always begins with a doubt and followed with a lie. For example having an affair and committing adultery, when the Bible says “You shall not commit adultery” you doubt the good intentions of God in a committed relationship to one spouse. You will believe a lie which says, no one will notice your affair, your wife is not hear, by they way cheating on wives is a common thing these days, in fact it makes you more of a human like some one said in the recent celebrity cheating case of Tiger Wood. Be careful your sin can always catch up with you; sooner than latter. The enemy is a deceiver from the beginning. To deceive means “To cause to believe what is not true; to mislead.” Many ads on the TV and magazines can be misleading. Our culture is steeped in deception. It is everywhere. Many of us have been sorely disappointed rather deceived by certain ads either on the TV, Billboards or magazines. Don’t be deceived, everything that glitters is not gold.

Satan is deceiving millions with half baked truths. Leigh Demos deals with 40 lies that women tend to believe, “I am not worth anything, I need to learn to love myself, I can’t help the way I am, Physical beauty matters more than inner beauty, I can sin and get away with it, I have to have a husband to be happy, My husband is supposed to serve me, If I submit to my husband I will be miserable, Sometimes divorce is a better option than staying in a bad marriage.”

How about men? Are they any better? No they too believe lies. What are the lies that men believe? The following list is taken from a blog article. It may not be true with all men but it gives us an idea of the lies we men tend to believe:
No one will find out. I won’t be caught viewing pornography The consequences won’t be that bad.
I don’t need other people. No one else faces the same temptations I do.
More money and possessions will make me more happy.
I can’t help who I am. I could never do anything great for God.
The best way to provide for my family is to work, work, and work.
Its uncool to be humble, ask forgiveness, seek help.
Its uncool to be kind, considerate, and show grace.
A little time in church on Sunday is enough.
God has nothing to do with my work and hobbies.
My marriage is never going to be great.
If my wife is unresponsive its okay to look elsewhere for what I need.
Its impossible to relate to my wife.
Little sins are okay – everyone does them.
Church is for wimps. God is not able.”

May be there are other lies you believe that are not included in this list. How about the lies young people believe? It is cool to be a rebel, quit school; it is for wimps, Pre marital sex is great; every one is doing, it better prepares you for marriage, For boys: if you drive a cool car, girls will fall for you. For girls: if you wear sexy and revealing clothes you become popular. Life is short so enjoy everything now.

Unfortunately even in Christian circles lies are rampant. According to Leigh Demos, “Tune into many religious radio and television broadcasts, listen to many popular Christian mental health professionals, and you will find respected Christian leaders who are deceiving their followers. They promise God’s blessing and grace to people who do not qualify because of their willful disobedience and unrepentant hearts. Through their teaching help people justify:
Anger (“healthy expression of your true feelings”)
Selfishness (“You’ve got to place boundaries between you and demanding people)
Irresponsibility (“you are dysfunctional because you have been deeply wounded by others) and infidelity (“You are free to divorce your mate and marry some one else; God is the God of the Second Chance). At the same time through their teaching, they make the righteous “feel” sad or guilty: For taking personal responsibility (“You are codependent”)
For demonstrating a servant’s heart (“you shouldn’t let others take advantage of you) and for being faithful to their vows (“God doesn’t expect you to stay in that marriage.”)

From the beginning, the enemy has tried to make right look wrong and the wrong look right. How can we encounter the lies of the enemy? Jesus gave a principle to follow in combating the lies that the enemy bring to your mind. John 8:31-32, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” It is only by holding on to the teachings of Christ, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free from the bondage of Sin. We looked at the origin, the fall, the names and the nature of the enemy. Knowing our enemy is half the battle.















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