The Spiritual Shift: Day #14 Strangers & Enemies & The Enemy

   Day #14 Strangers & Enemies & The Enemy

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." ~Hebrews 13:1-2

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." ~I Peter 5:8

Stained Glass Masquerade
Artist: Kevin Baldridge

What do you see at first glance? These are two pictures of the same piece of my husband's artwork, and yet they can appear subtly different due to the lighting (and my lack of skills in the area of photography).

I hope the title, Stained Glass Masquerade makes sense as one looks closely and sees the eye and the shape of the serpent along with the masks and the depiction we have been introduced to as the little red devil.

Just as we must look closely through our stained-glass world, we do need to be alert to the strangers we face, the enemies we encounter, but most of all the overall enemy that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

Our routine:

Assessment: What is the current condition of our relationship with those that we don't know? How do we interact with those who have offended us countless times? How aware are we that the devil is in our midst on a daily basis?

• What is the purpose of this relationship?

• What is the state of this relationship? What is going well? What isn’t?

• What changes need to be made to this relationship?

Adjustment: As we make ourselves more aware of the fact that each of our interactions have purpose, we are more steadfast in strengthening our relationship with our Creator. While challenging relationships exist, the Holy Spirit will help us discern and act in accordance with the will of God.

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." [Jesus speaking]

The reminder to fix our eyes on Jesus is so important in light of the enemy's tactics to prowl around looking for the opportune time to steal and kill and destroy.

God is fully aware of how the devil operates. The Bible reveals this in the story of Cain and Abel. While we probably are familiar with the outcome, we may have missed a very important detail that occurs before Cain kills Abel. 

Genesis 4:6-7 [This is after Cain has brought his offering.]

"Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.'"

God literally gives Cain a warning. the word choice is chilling: "crouching at your door" (I am picturing someone posed behind a door for a sneak attack.) While God issues the warning, he also leaves the decision--or the choice--to Cain.

Luke 4:13

"When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him [Jesus] until an opportune time."

Another warning exists in this verse: "opportune time." Satan is watching; Satan is studying. He is watching and waiting for the opportune time.--Are we tired? Are we worn down? Have we let ourselves become so busy that we haven't spent time with God? Satan sees these as the opportune times for which he has been patiently waiting.

Matthew 10:16 (Jesus is sending out his disciples)

"'I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.'"

Ephesians 6:10-18         [Bold emphasis added]

"'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."

Keep in mind the powerful example we have been given of Jesus' own battle with Satan. When Jesus was tempted, he rebuked the devil with various scriptures from God's Word and the simple, yet powerful, words: "It is written." Jesus knows God's Word. Jesus armed himself with knowledge of that Word and boldly proclaimed it to the devil.

While battling earthly enemies, in addition to our spiritual enemy, can seem overwhelming, we must cling to our knowledge of the end of the story. Spoiler Alert: Jesus wins! (This may be a fantastic time to complete a thorough reading of Revelation.)

Matthew 25:31-46

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

While we live in this world, let us love God and love one another. Let us seek to share the loving kindness of God with others. We do need to be discerning in our interactions with others, but more importantly, we need to recognize our need for the full armor of God.

Our Spiritual Shift has, hopefully, realigned our relationship with Almighty God (week one), which will in turn, improve our relationships with ourselves and with others (week two). Throughout our last week, we will be righting our relationship with "stuff."

As we finish this week, pray to be discerning and to also look for opportunities to truly impact others with acts that show the love of God.

Prayer: 

Oh, Almighty God, we thank You for Your limitless power. We thank You for guiding us and protecting us. Jesus, we thank You for showing us to rely on the Word of God. Help us to trust in You, and help us to submit our lives to You. Give us discernment and wisdom in our interactions with others. In Jesus' Name. Amen. 

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." ~Romans 12:18