(ThyBlackMan.com)
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”
Exodus 23:22 ESV
The children of Israel escaped Egypt, as well as their attempt to bring them back into bondage. They crossed the Red Sea and celebrated the victory over their recent enemies, but their journey was just beginning. The Lord now leads them through the wilderness as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. Though the defeat of Egyptian captors was in their recent past, the land they were about to inhabit would be fraught with new enemies and, consequently, new conflict. One takeaway here is we mustn’t celebrate too long.
We can not afford to become distracted by a victory because the eternal enemy of our soul will not rest until his ultimate defeat at the end of the age. He will continue to stalk you, looking for an opportunity to bring about your demise. Therefore, we praise God for our wins, but we must remain “vigilant, for our adversary, the devil, walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom to devour.” So even as God is leading and guiding you into new territories of blessedness, be sure you, like the Israelites, will have to fight to maintain what’s yours.
Unbeknownst to this developing nation, wars were in their future, but God assured them. He ensures that if they obey His voice, He will place Himself as an enemy to their enemies and adversaries. What a promise! Because of following instructions, God positions Himself against any enemy that comes into your life. This promise has to be reassuring to us as believers today because God’s position has not changed. The New Testament writer Paul put it like this in Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” In response to our faith and obedience, God marshalls His forces against every foe, every opposing party, and every antagonist.
Therefore I ask, “What oppositions are standing in your way? What circumstance has arisen in your life that has become a villain to your well-being?” Whatever they are, children of God, we should respond to this promise of God’s presence with confidence and boldness, knowing that the Lord, the God of the universe, is on our side.
Furthermore, He will be on our side and fight for us. Despite the doubt and fear that your enemy tries to introduce into your mind, remind yourself that your enemy has an enemy who has never lost a battle. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” are words ascribed to the war general Sun Tzu. He was partially correct; for the believer, the enemy of my enemy isn’t just my friend, but my God, my Father, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Staff Writer; C. E. Davis
This man of God can also be found online over at; InfiniteTruth Devotion.
One may also drop an email: CEDavis@ThyBlackMan.com.
