INTRODUCTION
There have been different opinions about who an enemy is to the average Christian. While some individuals are of the school of thought that an enemy is one who hates you and fight you directly, some define an enemy as anyone which includes the closest people to you such as your friend or a member of your family related by blood.
The bible made a reference to that by saying a man’s enemies could be the members of his household. This article will treat this topic using scriptural references from the Holy bible under various sub topics. Keep reading to learn about the description of who an enemy is according to the bible.
What does the bible say about your enemies?
There are lots of people frolicking around you that are that end up being enemies to you. They plan to hurt you and betray you at every moment they get.
You’re absolutely mistaken if you believe you have no enemies, because even Jesus had enemies amongst him despite his love and humility to mankind. According to the Holy bible, a man’s enemy is the devil.
This can be seen in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” which reminds you to be constantly alert by being in contact with God through prayer to fortify yourself against the devil’s channels of destruction.
The power of the enemy lies in his ability to manipulate the mind of a believer who is one of the little children of God through the spirit of fear.
Also, Jesus Christ reminds us in 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” of the Devil’s intention as an enemy whose plan is to steal your destiny, kill and destroy you eventually making you a vessel through which the spiritual forces of evil can be manifested on earth thereby sabotaging God’s will for you and on mankind in general.
The fallen angel is on a constant warfare with mankind who is created in the image and likeness of God which can be seen in the book of Genesis where he caused man to rebel against God through sin which made man to loose his dominion on earth given to him by God from the onset of creation.
This gave the Devil the access and power over mankind because by rebelling against God and putting the blame on the Devil, man lost the keys of power and dominion over the earth and the whole of God’s creation vested to him by God.
This can be seen in James 4:7 where Jesus informs us that those who submit to God become immune to the evil deeds of the Devil which scares him away while those who do not submit to God automatically make themselves available for the Devil’s influence as a vessel of his evil deeds which can be seen all over the world today with the emergence of false prophets who spread false words that do not align with God’s words according to the holy bible.
The holy Bible makes a reference to that in Mathew 24:24 “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect”.
In order to preserve long life which is only gotten when you live according to God’s will, you have to always be on the alert and also be connected to the source of your strength which is in Christ Jesus.
How do you deal with enemies according to the bible?
The Holy bible informs us of scriptural principles that teach us how to deal with our enemies. According to the word of God in 2 Corinthians 10:4 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” which informs us that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers which are spiritual.
This reminds us that even though it seems to you as though your enemy is mankind, they are only a vessel to the devil because of the access and power the devil has over them. The word of the Lord serves as a reminder to Christians to always be the children of your father who is God the creator of the heavens and the earth.
The holy Bible provides the knowledge of the weapons of warfare against the enemy which includes the word of the lord as contained in the holy bible that teaches the promises of God, the principles and the prophesy of God.
The blood of the lamb which is the blood of Jesus is also a weapon of warfare and grants access to eternal life because of the innocence of Jesus who was killed by the Devil. The efficacy of the blood of Jesus is because of the power that is in the blood which stands against Devil at the court of judgment for spilling an innocent blood.
Also, the name of the Lord is also a powerful weapon of warfare against the devil. As one of the children of God, you are advised to engage in the blood of the lamb, the word of the lord and the name of the lord always through prayer by communing with the Holy Spirit.
It can also be seen in Ephesians 6:10-19 where the word of God urges us to be strong in God and also put on the full armor of God in order to be fully equipped to stand against the evil deeds of Devil because we struggle not against flesh and blood but rulers, authorities, powers of the dark world and spiritual forces.
The whole armor of God is clearly stated and we are advised to always pray in the spirit to overcome the time of trouble. The word in Ephesians 6:10-19 says “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people”.
What does Psalm say about enemies?
According to the holy Bible, the Psalm of David says a lot about enemies. This gives a guide on how David dealt with his enemies.
Psalm 4:8 is a prayer about personal enemies, and it says, “I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.” Here David says when you commit a matter to God you can have tranquility over it knowing that the Lord will totally take over it.
On the other hand, you must be careful to maintain your integrity when in the midst of such conflicts. It will do no good for you to call out to God if you are, dishonest, or unethical on the job, as psalm 7:3-5 says “O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my ally with harm then let the enemy pursue and overtake me and lay my soul in the dust”. Psalm 17:3 makes the same point.
Psalm 109 further explains David prayer for vengeance against hateful enemies. Here we learnt vital key points on how to deal with the enemies in prayers. From verse 1-3 King David prayed for deliverance from the hatred of enemies, he further asked God in 4-5 for Deliverance from the ingratitude of those who hate, going on to pray destruction upon his family of his enemies in verses 6-13.
King David also prayed for the destruction against his enemies many sins from verse 14-20. From verse 21-29 we see that king David requested for help because of his weakness and with a heart for Gods glory. Finally from 30-31 we see how King David confidently praised God for his answers.
How do you treat your enemies?
According to the holy bible, we are advised to be the sons of your father which is the best way to treat our enemies. The book of Luke 6:27-28 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” gives us a perfect description of how to treat our enemies not as the friend of the world does but to love and pray for them to change from their evil ways through the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Their wickedness isn’t enough reason to pay them with evil. Think about it for a second, we are not perfect beings ourselves. And yet, even while we were sinners, God still loved us. Therefore, since we’ve decided to serve him, we must be patient with our enemies. The book of Proverbs 25:21-22 reminds us that God rewards us when we treat our enemies with love.
According to the Holy Bible in the book of Romans 12:14-21 we are commanded to actively carter for thine enemies who wrong you and who repay your good with evil because evil cannot be overcome with evil but you have to leave vengeance for God.
You are also advised to live in harmony with your enemies and not be proud or condemn them as sinners but to follow God’s way which was shown us by Jesus Christ. This means when you show love to your enemies by your actions, there are more likely to think their way to change rather than treating them in the evil way in which they treat you.
Jesus in the book of Matthew 5:44 “ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” advised us that you ought to love your enemies as you love yourself and also to pray for them that the Holy Spirit may change them from their evil ways. For the kingdom of God is one whose foundation is built on love.
Bible verses about enemies
Dear friends listed below are powerful bible verses from the new international version that would teach you about what the Holy bible says about enemies.
According to Leviticus 26:6 “I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country”.
The word of God reminds us of his promises to keep us and our land safe and free from the harm and attacks of the enemies. This confidence from God is enough for us to boost in his name and be happy as Christians because we have a God that watches over us even in our sleep.
According to Deuteronomy 20:1 “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you”.
The word of God promises us to be confident in him regardless of all things when ever our enemies come to fight against us. Even when it seems as though we will be consumed by them, for the fact that he (God) successfully lead the Israelites out from the land of Egypt then, there is nothing he cannot do to secure us from the hands of the enemies.
According to Psalm 138:7 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me”.
King David was grateful to God for his love upon his life as a king and ruler against the anger and wrath of his foes. This simply implies that God always saves us from the hands and wrath of those who want to consume us with their anger even without our knowledge.
According to 1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing”.
You are advised to always do good even when the enemy repays your good for evil. This can be seen in the area of insult where you’re advised not to insult back despite what manner of insult and the amount of shame or disgrace such insult will bring you.
Bible verses about enemy attacks
Dear friends listed below are scripture references that would teach you about how the enemy attacks
According to 1 Peter 5: 8-9 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings”.
This verse of the holy bible informs us about the character of the Devil likening him to a lion who is a very calculative animal. The devil attacks like a lion by cutting an individual from the source of life (God) to make him helpless before devouring him.
According to Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles”.
This verse of the bible states that God will always deliver you from all troubles of the enemy as long as you are righteous and abide by the principles of God.
According to Psalm 44:5 “Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes”.
This verse of the bible informs us of Gods benevolence which gives us the power and ability to overpower our enemies. It also informs us of the power which is in the name of God to trample and consume our foes.
According to 1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”.
This verse of the Holy bible informs us of our position as God’s children who are entrusted with the power to overcome all the forces and power of the enemy against thereby becoming victorious because of the spirit of God which dwells in us that makes us conquerors in the world.
Bible verses about destroying enemies
Dear friends listed below are scripture references that would teach you about what the Holy bible says about destroying enemies
According to Deuteronomy 28:7 “The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven”.
This verse informs us of the Lords promise to us concerning your enemies who rise up against you. The confidence of God informs you of the promise that while the enemies approach you in union with each other, because God is with you, they shall leave in separate ways of seven because you shall defeat them in a way they shall have no other option but to flee.
According to Exodus 23:22 “If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you”.
According to this verse, if we abide by the ways of God by keeping to his principles, he will become an enemy to those who are our enemies and fight against them on our behalf because we are his.
According to Genesis 22:17 “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies”.
According to the word of God, we will be blessed in a way that our blessings become immeasurable just as the sand on the seashore and the land of the enemies shall be our possessions.
According to Genesis 14:20 “And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything”. The word of God informs us of the promise of God to Abram who ensured the enemies of Abram were always delivered to him because of Abram’s consistency in keeping to his promise to God.
Bible verses about defeating enemies
Dear friends listed below are scripture references that would teach you about what the Holy bible says about defeating your enemies.
According to 1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”.
We are reminded that because of our origin which is God, we are overcomers and are greater than the one who is in the world who is the Devil our true enemy.
According to 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
This verse is a sign of appreciation to God for the victory and confidence he has given us through our Lord Jesus. This simply states that Jesus Christ is a way to victory against all the evil in the world.
According to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”.
This verse of the holy bible states that in as much as we are in this world, we are not a part of the world and this means we do not have to do things as the world does because the thing of the world basically do not conform to the principles of God.
And so if we must be victorious against the force which is in this world, we have to stay connected to God who is our source of victory against the things of the world.
Conclusion
The word of God informs us of our true enemy who is the devil; a spiritual being which is why we do not have to carry out physical actions against the vessels through which the devil carries out his evil act all over the world today.
The word of God also informs us that the best way to overcome the enemy the devil and the vessels who are humans is to pray that the Holy Spirit change the vessels and also fortify us against the persecutions of the devil.
Our heavenly Father through the holy bible informs us that loving others is the best way to act towards our enemies by showing love to them and not by words of hate even in the midst of trouble.
The devil sometimes tempts the children of God by using several means which could be a real foe or a member of the family. This can be seen when the Devil tempted Jesus through Peter when Jesus condemned Peter’s words in Mark 8:33 “But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns”.
This means that the means of victory against the enemy is to be in the spirit by engaging the blood of the lamb, the name of the Lord thy God and the word of God. For the word contains the knowledge required to win the warfare against the devil.
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