OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY - 09/03/2014 - IDENTIFY YOUR ENEMIES I BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

IDENTIFY YOUR ENEMIES I

MEMORISE

Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.

Psalm 35:1

READ

Luke 18:1-3

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

MESSAGE

In the School of Disciples of the ministry I oversee, one of the three principal Modules is: Know Your Enemy. It is very necessary that you identify who your enemies are. There is an adage in my native language which says: “When God has revealed your enemies to you; they can no longer kill you.” The assumption is that once you can identify who your enemies are, you would be able to relate with them with caution so that they may not harm you. There is an interesting story in 1 Kings 2. David listed all his enemies and by extension Solomon’s enemies and counselled Solomon to do to them as a man does to his enemies (1 Kings 2:5-6).

Enemies are of two categories: internal and external. One is more dangerous than the other. The internal enemy is more dangerous than the external one. The reason is that if the internal enemy does not open the door to the external enemy, then you are secure. Today, we shall discuss the external enemy. For example, Goliath was an external enemy to David, and it was easy for David to kill him. You cannot afford to be gentle with the enemy because if you do not get him first, he will get you. The Almighty is very specific when He said you are “to love your neighbour as yourself,” not more than yourself. In other words, you have to make sure you are secure first before you begin to discuss the security of your neighbour. When the woman in our Bible passage today prayed to the judge: “avenge me of my adversary”, I assume that first of all, the adversary was known to her. The adversary was not a stranger. Secondly, since the adversary was known to her, it means the enemy the widow was praying about was not a new one. Thirdly, the adversary must have wronged her before. She must have had an unpleasant encounter with this adversary. The moment the adversary discovers your weakness, he will keep on hitting you at that particular spot. Fourthly, when the widow said “my adversary”, it means the adversary was personal to her. It is amazing that some people fight other people’s enemies – leaving their own unchallenged. This is foolishness. This is why we need to appreciate pastors, who by virtue of their calling, have to fight on behalf of their members. The fact that the woman cried to the judge shows that she knew she could not fight for herself; she needed a power higher than hers. This is exactly what David knew and wrote in Psalm 35. Cry to God to fight on your behalf against the enemies who want to destroy your destiny.

ACTION POINT

Prayerfully identify your enemies and ask God to deal with them on your behalf.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Jeremiah 38:7-40:16;

 Psalm 56