Christians: Are You an Enemy of God?

by Staff April 7, 2023 14 Comments BM Christian Talk News Opinion Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com)

The LORD says to my Lord:

“Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Psalms 110:1

The devil is the first image generally considered as it concerns an enemy of God. The Bible presents him as the accuser of the brethren and an opposer to God’s will. From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, satan has been employed in frustrating the plans of God. After his failed uprising against the Most High, he succeeds only to convince the third of the heavenly host to believe his particular delusion of grandeur, and they thereby fall with him. Since then, the devil has incited rebellion against God in every generation of humankind by encouraging humanity to participate in sin. Indeed, the “lord of the flies,”-Beelzebub, is an enemy of God and His purposes, but he’s not the only one. I find it’s easy to play the blame game and charge all things wrong at the devil’s feet; though he does deserve blame when you look throughout history, he usually has a partner in his devilment, mankind.

Christians - God.

That men oppose themselves and each other is of no consequence because, from the beginning of time, brother fought against brother, tribe against tribe, and nation against nation. However, humanity opposing God is of great importance and bears eternal implications. That man has often been an antagonist to God shouldn’t be too difficult to prove, for throughout Scripture, we see nations and peoples who were opponents of God’s will and His ways. Was not Pharaoh an enemy of God who sought to deny Israel’s freedom from Egyptian slavery? Were not the Philistines in constant combat with Israel as they established their kingdom according to the word of the Lord? What a menace Balaam was, seeking ways to curse and corrupt God’s holy nation and peculiar people! Sadly, even the nation of Israel set itself against God by taking on the practices and lifestyles of the surrounding countries or intermingled with them through marriage. And let’s not forget Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, who veiled his malicious intent with a friendly greeting. Yes, men and women can be God’s enemies because an enemy of God simply defies God’s will for themselves or others.

This is why God is “angry with the wicked every day” because by being wicked and choosing to serve their own interest, they belligerently withstand the will of God for their life, which is to live in holy harmony with God and men. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without with no man shall see the Lord. “ Hebrews 12:4 Holiness produces peace with God and consequently your neighbors because it is precisely that attribute that places you in accordance with God’s will and character. Sin disrupts this concord and makes men out to be selfish tyrants, rebelling against and seeking to rule their own lives. Well, did C. S. Lewis say, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.” This is why the atonement of Christ is so necessary. Sin makes one disagreeable to God, but Christ’s sacrificial death reconciles sinful man with a holy God by delivering sinners from the stronghold of petty selfishness.

However, I find another category of “enemies” listed in Scripture. This group isn’t akin to the Nebuchadnezzars, Sennacheribs, or Jezzebels of history who opposed God outright. No, these are “believers” (I use this term loosely), believers in Jesus Christ, attendees of Church services, and close acquaintances with religious jargon. They “believe” in the fruits and gifts of the Spirit, mission work, and evangelistic service; however, there’s one problem, their carnal mind. The Apostle Paul, in the 8th chapter of Romans, after making his case for the necessity of Spirit-filled living, offers this caveat and warning that being carnally minded is not only death but produces enmity or hostility. This is a person, once enlightened, choosing to wear shades. Carnal-mindedness cause you to obscure God’s will for your life of your own volition and thereby live beneath your privilege. It is the resurrection of “old Adam,” that natural instinct to please oneself that should stay buried in the grave. A Christian choosing to live according to their own will reduces himself to becoming an enemy of God’s will.

So, dear Christian, be careful and search yourself; afterward, ask the Lord to search your heart to discover any waywardness. Because it would be sad to consider yourself a friend of God because you don’t convey the blatant prideful opposition sinners, do, yet discover you’re an enemy because you’d rather rely on your own understanding than God’s truth. This behavior thwarts God’s intended purpose for your life. Are you God’s enemy? If so, the good news is that provision has been made for you for reconciliation. Lay down your arms, surrender, submit to the Lord, and let His will govern and guide your life.

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.

14 Comments

Dan says:

April 11, 2023 at 2:36 pm

Mr. Davis, thank you for letting the light of truth shine into those places we don’t want to look at.

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Jim Rannells says:

April 9, 2023 at 4:44 am

I continue to find inspiration from your website and use your thoughts in my blog–entitled The Peace of God [Facebook]. Thank you for my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jim

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Barry says:

April 8, 2023 at 4:57 pm

Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven and to whom the LORD will not impute iniquity. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s [d]descendants, but: “[e]through Isaac your [f]descendants will be named.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as [g]descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would [h]stand, not [i]because of works but [j]because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed [k]throughout the whole earth.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel [l]for honorable use and another [m]for common use? 22 [n]What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25 As He says also in Hosea,

“I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’
And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”
26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, [o]thoroughly and [p]quickly.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold,

“Unless the Lord of [q]Sabaoth had left to us a [r]posterity,
We would have become like Sodom, and would have [s]resembled Gomorrah.”

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is [t]by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it [u]by faith, but as though it were [v]by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written,

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
And he who believes in Him will not be [w]disappointed.”

Footnotes

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Scott says:

April 8, 2023 at 4:57 pm

Considering that approximately 64% of americans identify as christian, yet only 4% have a biblical worldview according to a recent survey, it seems clear that many people who identify as christians really don’t know or understand what they believe. I have to say, to be fair, that this disparity can be laid at the feet of the leadership that has allowed so much worldly teachings and ideas into the church today. When you deviate from the simple truths of God’s holy word what do you expect? So many compromises has taken its toll on the weak and the frail. We are coming apart at the seams from the lack of sound biblical teaching. And too many chiefs who like to talk about the problem but don’t really want to spend time reaching out to those that need help. A lot of talk and not much walk is just as bad.

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FRANK says:

April 8, 2023 at 12:38 pm

C E Davis – What a amazing inciteful convicting message. God bless you my dear brother.

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Henry Frueh says:

April 8, 2023 at 10:32 am

There are only two spiritual classes of people which are the redeemed and the unredeemed. The question is can a truly redeemed and transformed persn show no humility or meekness or self denial or love? We have been called to love our enemies, about which the cross is the defining model. But the exhortation “Iam crucified with Christ” has been placed on the doctrinal shelf and received very little practical revelation. Who then actually is a child of Christ?

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Jeff says:

April 8, 2023 at 8:50 am

The kind of racial insulation proposed by Eugenio will only hurt the church and the American enterprise. I would not choose to do business with a white or black owned restaurant because of the pigmentation of the proprietor. It is just as racist to exclude doing business with banks owned by inuits, totos, abazinians, afro-russians, gilaks, kapampangans, lithuanians, latvians in favor of only black owned businesses- must I go on? I am white. I don’t knnow any whites who own Chinese restaurants. Am I out of luck? Did you know that former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice studied Russian, and was such an expert in foreign affairs that she was selected as National Security Advisor in the Bush administration. Her mother had an English degree and her grandmother studied Victorian literature. By your logic, they should have only studied Swahili or Gullah, and read only African literature. Yet Ms. Rice and her forbears never claimed victimhood and neo-con statehood by race. Instead, she and her family worked out their salvation (grandpa was a Presbyterian minister), embraced unity in citizenship, and leveraged opportunities at the hands of whites to become successful, not advocating for post Jim Crow segregation of black Americans in business, education, church relations. As a white man, I would vote for her today if she ran for president, not because she is black or a woman, but because of her superior training, sharp intellect, and capable statesmanship. I think you have fallen into the weeds and your proposals will only drag the black community down and further polarize the church. Historically black schools and businesses have created valuable alternatives. They continue to provide much needed opportunities. However, marginalizing the good faith and work of your white brothers and sisters in the church and economy is divisive and counterproductive to the cause of Christ and his church.

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Jeff says:

April 8, 2023 at 8:50 am

The kind of racial insulation proposed by Eugenio will only hurt the church and the American enterprise. I would not choose to do business with a white or black owned restaurant because of the pigmentation of the proprietor. It is just as racist to exclude doing business with banks owned by inuits, totos, abazinians, afro-russians, gilaks, kapampangans, lithuanians, latvians in favor of only black owned businesses- must I go on? I am white. I don’t knnow any whites who own Chinese restaurants. Am I out of luck? Did you know that former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice studied Russian, and was such an expert in foreign affairs that she was selected as National Security Advisor in the Bush administration. Her mother had an English degree and her grandmother studied Victorian literature. By your logic, they should have only studied Swahili or Gullah, and read only African literature. Yet Ms. Rice and her forbears never claimed victimhood and neo-con statehood by race. Instead, she and her family worked out their salvation (grandpa was a Presbyterian minister), embraced unity in citizenship, and leveraged opportunities at the hands of whites to become successful, not advocating for post Jim Crow segregation of black Americans in business, education, church relations. As a white man, I would vote for her today if she ran for president, not because she is black or a woman, but because of her superior training, sharp intellect, and capable statesmanship. I think you have fallen into the weeds and your proposals will only drag the black community down and further polarize the church. Historically black schools and businesses have created valuable alternatives. They continue to provide much needed opportunities. However, marginalizing the good faith and work of your white brothers and sisters in the church and economy is divisive and counterproductive to the cause of Christ and his church.

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Eugenio says:

April 8, 2023 at 1:18 am

Where is God when white people called police on our black Christian children for absolutely no reason which always result in the death of another black child at the hands of the race soldiers also known as Police officers.

Where is God when our judicial system has created the school to prison pipeline in order to incarcerated and permanently deprive our black Christian children from building a career and achieving their goals as free human beings but still under the psychological and socio economical enslavement imposed on them.

Where is God when black Chrisitan put their vote and Trust on a white Deviant President Bidne who promise to do for the community after his election and once He was elected alongside our so called sister Karmala Harris, the first thing they proceeded to do within their 100 days in office is pass many Bills that benefited and empowered the Hispanics, LGBT, and so called Asian Covid Hate Crime bill, which is now been use by every Asian person to put a black Chrisitan child, black male or female in jail for simple things such as asking for a receipt upon purchasing something form their stores, for raising your voice at them and for just been black and walking pass them on the street

Now, if you want to believe in God or a white savior created by the slave masters and owners of your forefathers then that is fine; but, do not be fool by things created by conquerors of new continents. Remember to the victorious of any war goes the spoils of war and with that comes the right to create, write and change history to benefit the winners and cause detriment to the looser. Obviously, Africans were the Loosers and now white America has written their history and that of ours as African Americans.

If you believe in God then step outside and tell your fellow black brother and sisters that you love them and you forgive them. Secondly, tell them to stop doing things on the streets and television that will cause other ethnic groups to think negative of our community. Third, if you are a true Christian then you and all black Christians need to put your money, and wealth in black owned banks and financial institutions, to send your children to black owned private schools and HBCU’S, to married black men and black women, to have a father figure at home for our black Chrisitan children, to stop purchasing alcoholic beverages, to stop smoking and purchasing tobacco products, to stop doing drugs, to stop putting things on your hair that are not natural grown, to stop spending our precious black Christian dollars at stores owned by Asians, Middle eastern, Hispanic, white etc.. and to keep our black dollars in our communities and help build a better environment for our black children.

Remember the black community has a 2 trillion dollar spending power; Yet, all that money goes to other races and communities that could care less about the plight of a black Chrisitan men and women. Also, if you are indeed a true devoted black Christian then you must asked your black pastor, priest, deacon etc.. to show you proof that he or she is placing all the donations and money given to his/ her church in a financial institutions or bank that is owned, operated, and employees black people. Indeed, there are 21 African American Banks in the United States; Yet, our so called black preachers are banking with white banks and buying house in white neighborhoods. This has to stop and all black Christians should make their pastor and priest accountable for their actions and the way they spend the money given to them by their black Chrisitan congregations.

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Anon Girl says:

April 7, 2023 at 11:00 pm

If you know anyone who is struggling with suicidal depression, please share the following number with them:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or text GO to 741741

I also highly recommend this blog, which has been so helpful to me in my walk with Christ over the years:

Expreacherman.com

God bless you all.

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Sandy says:

April 7, 2023 at 10:21 pm

WOW!! God showed me a picture of laying down my arms recently. You describe it so well-strongholds of petty selfishness. Not that something is wrong, but it is wrong for those who want to live in His Presence.

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WalkGood says:

April 7, 2023 at 10:02 pm

A good warning for nominal Christians (some of whom may not know what it means to be a biblical Christian). It would be good to have included a few examples of kinds of behaviors addressed here. Obviously, by our renewed mind, biblical Christians know but a few typical cases would be helpful to all.

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Tim says:

April 7, 2023 at 8:23 pm

Modern science has discovered how and why people made up the gods and fables about them.

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marilyn says:

April 7, 2023 at 6:58 pm

I believe you meant Hebrews 12:14.

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