Have you ever been engaged or embattled with an enemy? In the physical world, an enemy can come in the form of many different things. Speaking for myself, sometimes I perceive the enemy as the weather, especially when I have plans outside and it’s raining, or where I live, two feet of snow in 24 hours. Other possible enemies to our thinking might stem from ill health, lack of finances, or never-ending bills. Maybe you even know someone who, to some extent, might be considered your enemy. In our lives, I think it’s safe to say that an enemy is whatever we make them, or it, out to be.
Last night, I faced an enemy in my dreams. It was a person, a male, who kept coming after me with the intent to harm me. At first, I thought this individual was not a threat, as they seemingly befriended me with chit-chat while apparently trying to win me over. Soon enough, however, I began a physical altercation with this person, who in my dreamy state refused to leave me alone. I was unable to shake them no matter how hard I tried. Thankfully, I woke up, albeit frazzled, but also with these three words on my tongue: the unseen enemy. Yes, I believe God was trying to teach me something.
Unsure about the ramifications of my dream and thus the words in the title of this devotional, I turned to scripture—thinking that the Lord wanted me, and perhaps you, to be aware of the battles that take place in the unseen world and that are a constant threat to our faith and well-being.
“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 spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)
This Bible verse reminds us that our unseen enemy refers to the spiritual forces of evil and not just human and worldly adversaries. The Lord is encouraging us to be vigilant in our faith and to fully clothe ourselves in the full armor of God.
“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.” (Ephesians 6:13 NIV)
It’s abundantly clear in scripture that the real enemy we face is unseen, residing in a spiritual world that cannot be felt or touched but is just as real. The real battle we face as believers in Jesus Christ goes on in our hearts and souls and minds, and yes, even in our dreams. We are soldiers in a spiritual battle with an enemy unseen. All the more reason to bolster your faith each day through prayer, reading your Bible, and focusing on Jesus, who has already won the battle for us because of his death and resurrection.
If you need the assurance that God has already won the battle, both seen and unseen, Romans 8:38, 39 provides us with the proof that we are never without the Lord by our side and that nothing can separate us from His love: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)
Look to Jesus and not to the unseen enemy.
Paul Smyth
