April 27, 2016

PPIL
Ephesians 6:12 NKJV - "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."

Commentary:

As we are called by the Lord to "love our enemies" let's remember something:  Satan is our Arch-Enemy and we are certainly not called on to love him!  He is the embodiment of sin and wickedness and the tempter of our souls.  The Lord taught in His pattern prayer for believers to pray "...do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil [the evil one]."    Satan has done much to create the chasm between God and sinners.  Satan has no love for the unbeliever, and he does have an outright hatred for the things of God, and that goes especially for those who know Christ as Savior and Lord.

When we think of those who are our "enemies" we need to remember something someone else said years ago, "The unbeliever is not our enemy but he is the victim of the enemy!"  Yes, we still call those who oppose the Gospel of Christ and seek to destroy our faith, our "enemies."  But we understand that their actions are the actions of the evil one.  The people themselves, however, are those for whom Christ died.  Just like we were. 

We should have no affection for the devil.  We are to "...resist him..." 1 Peter 5:9, and again, "Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7.  As Jesus was tempted by the tempter, He resisted Satan by constantly quoting the powerful Word of God.  Note Matthew 4:1-11.   In our Daily Verse today we have a fight we all must be a part of!  Satan is trying desperately to hold on to the souls of the lost.  Our fight is to win those souls for Christ!