Yesterday we saw Joshua and the Men of Israel allow some of the people they were supposed to destroy infiltrate their camp. There was some hesitation from some of the men, but ultimately, Joshua made the decision and the strangers, the enemy, were allowed to mingle among the group. We saw in Chapter 9 where the enemy had used trickery and deceit to make themselves appear as something they were not.
Wouldn't it be great if we could identify our enemies before we allowed them in? Paul told the church at Ephesus:
Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil. (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
There is one major key to the scriptures above: we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. While it may seem from time to time that our enemy is the coworker who seems to have it out for you or the "friend" that has spread horrid, hurtful gossip about you, they are not your true enemies. Our enemies cannot be seen with our physical eyes. They operate in the spirit realm while we live in the physical. This is very important because the armor of God we have been given has invisible characteristics that we must put on every day to withstand the attacks and "wiles" of the enemy. What does "wiles" mean? Wiles mean trickery. It means exactly what Joshua fell victim to when the Hivites presented themselves as ambassadors from a far away land. Do you think maybe Joshua got just a little comfortable? AFter all, they did not seek the counsel of the Lord. Do you think maybe Joshua let his guard down a little bit instead of standing "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might"? I do. Just think about all the children of Israel had been through up to this point AND they had just renewed their covenant with the Lord. Sometimes we can get comfortable in our relationship with the Lord and forget where we have come from. We reestablish our commitment to Him any many times we relax thinking we are okay. After all, because He overcame we are overcomers. That is so very true; however, that does not stop the attack of the enemy.
Jesus said He was sending us out into a world of wolves.
Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."
Wolves are very purposeful in pursuit of their prey. They also travel and hunt in packs. You will rarely find a lone wolf on the hunt on its own. Sheep are vulnerable with few defense mechanisms and fall to wolves easily if the shepherd is not vigilant in the oversight of his flock. The really great thing is we serve the Good Shepherd. We serve the Shepherd that will leave His 99 to find the one that wandered off.
Jesus goes on and says that we are to be wise as serpents. Serpents are crafty, tricky, and can strike quickly. Scientists say a snake can strike with the acceleration of 20 Gs. I am not a rocket scientist or an aerospace engineer, but even I know 20 Gs is super fast and there would not be enough reaction time to escape an attack should a snake decide to strike. So,
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (9) Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
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Wouldn't it be great if we could identify our enemies before we allowed them in? Paul told the church at Ephesus:
Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil. (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
There is one major key to the scriptures above: we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. While it may seem from time to time that our enemy is the coworker who seems to have it out for you or the "friend" that has spread horrid, hurtful gossip about you, they are not your true enemies. Our enemies cannot be seen with our physical eyes. They operate in the spirit realm while we live in the physical. This is very important because the armor of God we have been given has invisible characteristics that we must put on every day to withstand the attacks and "wiles" of the enemy. What does "wiles" mean? Wiles mean trickery. It means exactly what Joshua fell victim to when the Hivites presented themselves as ambassadors from a far away land. Do you think maybe Joshua got just a little comfortable? AFter all, they did not seek the counsel of the Lord. Do you think maybe Joshua let his guard down a little bit instead of standing "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might"? I do. Just think about all the children of Israel had been through up to this point AND they had just renewed their covenant with the Lord. Sometimes we can get comfortable in our relationship with the Lord and forget where we have come from. We reestablish our commitment to Him any many times we relax thinking we are okay. After all, because He overcame we are overcomers. That is so very true; however, that does not stop the attack of the enemy.
Jesus said He was sending us out into a world of wolves.
Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."
Wolves are very purposeful in pursuit of their prey. They also travel and hunt in packs. You will rarely find a lone wolf on the hunt on its own. Sheep are vulnerable with few defense mechanisms and fall to wolves easily if the shepherd is not vigilant in the oversight of his flock. The really great thing is we serve the Good Shepherd. We serve the Shepherd that will leave His 99 to find the one that wandered off.
Jesus goes on and says that we are to be wise as serpents. Serpents are crafty, tricky, and can strike quickly. Scientists say a snake can strike with the acceleration of 20 Gs. I am not a rocket scientist or an aerospace engineer, but even I know 20 Gs is super fast and there would not be enough reaction time to escape an attack should a snake decide to strike. So,
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (9) Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Join the discussion on Facebook.
