Who is My Enemy? By Mel C. Montgomery The Lord taught me a ...

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beyond the offense and attempted for many years to establish a loving ... As I pondered the Lord's definition of an enemy (in the context of my question) as ...
Who is My Enemy? By Mel C. Montgomery The Lord taught me a valuable lesson several years ago, which has come back to me in recent days. I had a relative who seemed to always be on edge with me. He avoided me whenever possible. When he couldn't avoid me, he would think of some way to insult me or say something cutting to me. I couldn't understand this. I had always loved and been kind to this relative. One day, I saw this relative driving down the road with a sour look on his face. In my spirit asked the Lord, "Why does this man hate me?" And in one of those moments that I wish came far more often than they do, the Lord answered back, "Because he considers you to be his enemy." I asked, "What is an enemy?" The Lord said, "Someone who reminds you of a truth you do not want to face." Since I have walked with the Lord for over 25 years, I certainly recognized His voice. However, I knew also that whatever the Lord truly says to us by His Holy Spirit, will be consistent with, and confirmed by, His written word. So I looked up what the Bible has to say about enemies, and I found what the Lord said to me to be consistent with, and confirmed by, Paul's words to the Galatians: "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"--Gal. 4:16. After I had found confirmation in the Bible of the Lord's statement to me, I accepted what I was told through the Holy Spirit and realized that the Lord's explanation made perfect sense in this case. Many years ago, this relative acted shamefully towards a branch of the family to which I belong. I moved beyond the offense and attempted for many years to establish a loving relationship with this man. From what the Lord told me, I began to understand that the reason I couldn't have a warm relationship with this relative is because every time he saw me, my appearance reminded him of his own disgrace. I reminded him of a truth he did not want to face. I began to search my own heart to see whether there was someone whom I considered to be an enemy. My search led me to think almost immediately of a particular preacher. I visited a ministers' fellowship from time to time, and when this man joined us, I hated to even be in the same room with him. Everything about that man grated on my nerves. Whenever he would make a comment to the rest of us, I couldn't resist the temptation to try to subtly contradict or mock what he had said. As I pondered the Lord's definition of an enemy (in the context of my question) as "someone who reminds you of a truth you do not want to face," I asked myself why I disliked this man and almost considered him to be an enemy. I asked myself, "Do I dislike this man because he reminds me of a truth I do not want to face? If so, what is that truth?" Immediately in my heart I knew what the truth was. He

had experienced a great deal of acceptance in ministry, was in full-time ministry, and I was not. I was still struggling. I didn't like to face the truth that God had not set me in full-time ministry yet, so I resented this man for what God had given him. Every time I saw this man, I wanted to push against him because just his presence reminded me of the fact that I wasn't in full-time ministry yet--a truth I did not want to face. When I realized that my enmity toward this man was caused by wrong attitudes in my own heart, I repented and asked God to forgive me. And as quickly as I could arrange to do so, I went to this man at the next gathering, grabbed him in a hug, and said to him, "Brother [So and so] ! It is so good to see you. I love you and I appreciate your ministry!" Tears even came to my eyes. He looked a little startled, but responded warmly. When I saw how wrong-hearted I had been to consider someone my enemy simply because he reminded me of a truth I did not want to face, I made the decision to never return insult for insult, never to covet what someone else has, and never to allow wrong feelings to remain in my heart towards anyone. It has by no means been easy. It is only natural to dislike some person who is cruel, obnoxious, or hypocritical. There are also times in which someone's personality just doesn't "click" with you or me. But when I've begun to realize that I have actual enmity in my heart towards someone, I remember what the Lord told me. Then I ask myself, "What truth does this person remind me of that I don't want to face?" Usually the reason will come up in my spirit almost immediately. What the Lord told me has also helped me to deal with the occasions when someone has attacked me for no logical reason. I ask myself, "What truth do I remind them of, that they do not want to face?" Several times as I have waited on the Lord, been patient, and walked in love towards someone who slandered me, the Lord has revealed the matter to me. For example, I got into an exchange of e-mails with a person who constantly attacked and belittled Charismatics. His e-mails to me were laced with insults, but I kept responding courteously with scriptures and common sense reasoning, to his objections to Charismatics, refusing to return insult for insult. Eventually when I had refuted all of his attacks, he admitted to me, "Well, I'm NOT anti-Charismatic. After all, my father is a Charismatic pastor. That's OK. I just don't agree with the way he runs his church." Ahhhh! So that 's it! This was a case of a father and son having a strained relationship. Since the son couldn't attack his father directly, he attacked his Charismatic father indirectly by writing bitter denunciations of Charismatics. He was proud of the fact that he had launched over 170 bitter attacks against many Charismatics. When he cut those other believers to pieces in his writings, wounding their feelings, insulting their intelligence, belittling their faith, I'm sure those Charismatics wondered why they were so viciously slandered. The reason? Those Charismatic believers reminded him of a truth he did not want to face--he did not have the relationship that he desired with his father. Examples of Enmity in the Scriptures

Joseph's brothers hated him, because his mother was their father's favorite wife, and Joseph was his favorite son. They hated him also perhaps because God had given him a dream, but not them. Their enmity rose to the point where they could no longer tolerate the way Joseph's presence reminded them of these truths they did not want to face. So they faked his death, and sold him into slavery. The first case of enmity may have been Cain and Abel. It could be that Cain resented Abel's walk with the Lord, his success with flocks, his appearance, or his relationship with their parents. Whatever it was, it reached the boiling point to where Cain killed his brother. A New Testament example that comes to mind is that of Paul. Listen to Paul's own explanation of his early life: "My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; . . . I lived a Pharisee. . . I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. . . and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. . . . And [on the road to Damascus] when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest . . . Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: "--Acts 26:4, 5, 9-11, 14, 15, 19. What truth did Paul not want to face? It could be any of a number of truths or a combination thereof. Two that he obviously faced were: First, the emptiness of life without Christ. Second, the futility of trying to find a living relationship with God through keeping the Law. Paul describes his early spiritual life this way: " . . . touching the righteousness which is in the law, [I was] blameless. But what things were gain to me [such as my geneology and the keeping of the Law], those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ . . ."--Phil. 3:6-8. Paul testified that he had sought "to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." He hated the affront Jesus' death and resurrection were to his religion. Jews all around him were converting to this new faith by the tens of thousands. He saw Christians receiving righteousness by faith, when he had labored for years to live a strict life of obeying the Law which had led only to a pointless faith walk that could only be described as "loss." He saw in them a joy, but his own spiritual life was comperable to "dung." Unknown to Paul, this realization of his own helplessness and the emptiness of attempting to earn righteousness, was actually the work of the Holy Spirit in Paul's life, revealing to Paul his sinful condition, and drawing him to Christ for salvation. Paul fought and fought the inner convictions of his heart, which

led only to more pain. Christ was referring to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit when he said to Paul, "it is hard for you to kick against the pricks." This shows us that it is not unusual for someone to lash out in irrational hatred at us because they are fighting the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and are finding for themselves that it is hard to kick against the pricks. Later, Paul found himself on the receiving end of religious ridicule. In his Apostolic role in addressing the Galatians, he saw them slowly pulling away from complete faith in Christ, into a pseudo-faith in Christ accompanied by vain attempts to keep portions of the Law. He rebuked them for this fall from grace, and they did not like his rebuke. He then asked them, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"--Gal. 4:16. Apparently they began to see Paul as an enemy because he stubbornly kept reminding them of the truths of God's grace, entirely separate from keeping the Law, which truths they did not want to face. The Greatest Case of Enmity in History The greatest case of enmity in history was that which involved Jesus Christ. He reminds the world of many truths they do not want to face: Christ is the Truth: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."--John 14:6.

Christ Speaks the Truth: "But now ye [Pharisees] seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham."--John 8:40. The World Considers Christ Their Enemy: "The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil."-John 7:7. The World Hates Christ For No Legitimate Reason: ". . . now have they [the world] both seen and hated both me and my Father. . . They hated me without a cause."--John 15:22, 24,25. And because we belong to Christ, we are hated by the world, and by the world's father--Satan. Truths Satan Does Not Want To Face

I believe that every time Satan sees a Christian, he is reminded of numerous truths he does not want to face. Such as: 

He was created as Lucifer, which means "Light Bringer."



God created him with exceptional beauty.



He originally had a highly glorious position in God's Kingdom.



He rebelled against God losing his light, beauty, and position.



Satan will never be forgiven.



We have been forgiven through the blood of Christ.



Satan has been judged and condemned by God.



We have been justified and made righteous in God's eyes.



Calvary is to Satan his place of eternal defeat.



Calvary is to us our place of eternal victory.



Satan's authority has been taken from him by Christ.



Christ has seated us with himself in Heavenly places.



Satan's future is an eternity of torment in the Lake of Fire.



Our future is an eternity gladness and glory with God.

And as if things were not bad enough for Satan already as he waits for the Lake of Fire, we Christians are authorized to use the name of Jesus in prayer to God, and against the works of darkness, and Satan must bow to that name on our lips. Christians are downright depressing to the Devil! If Satan wasn't so evil, you'd almost feel sorry for him. So keep in mind this definition of an enemy: One who reminds you of a truth you do not want to face. The question now becomes, "How do I apply this in my life?" Here's how--When you perceive that there is enmity in your heart towards someone, quit "kicking against the pricks" of the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Face whatever truth you are trying to avoid, and get the enmity out of your heart. Then move on with God in the pure relationship He desires to have with you. Copyright 2008 Mel C. Montgomery All Rights Reserved.