Not all enemies are outside ourselves.

by: carole l.haines

Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness! ² And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no man living is righteous. ³ For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. ⁴ Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart is appalled within me.

⁵ I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands. ⁶ I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land. Selah.

⁷ Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails; do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down to the pit. ⁸ Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul. ⁹ Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. ¹¹ For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me. in Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. ¹² And in Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies and destroy all those who afflict my soul, for I am Your servant. (Psalm 143 NASB)

Not all enemies are outside ourselves.  Not all enemies pose a physical threat.  There are times when we are our own worst enemy.  We have failed at something, over and over again.  We have failed others, through our actions, our harsh words, or our lack of sensitivity to their needs.  It is in these times that whispers of discouragement can bring us down to a pit.  The accuser of the Brethren is hard at work, pointing out our failure to us, over and over again. He is relentless in his cruelty. We curl up, and hide our faces against these invisible blows.  But God never intends for us to dwell in this place of failure.  Jesus didn’t just die to save us from the penalty of our sins, but from their power over us.  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 NASB) Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NASB)

When the enemy of our souls is taunting us with our own failures, we must boldy cast off these false accusations and run, run, run, to God’s Throne of Grace.  Jesus Christ died to bring us forgiveness from the guilt and condemnation of sin, not just its penalty.  Fail we most certainly will, but the ultimate victory has already been won in our lives, and we are guaranteed a place near the Throne of Christ in Heaven with Him.  So throw off that condemnation, Dear Believer and stop listening to that enemy from within.  Listen to God instead and run to Him this day. He awaits us with open arms and heart.