David had enemies—and by enemies, I mean people who were out to kill him! Here is a list of some of David’s enemies: King Saul (the king preceding David who was jealous of David’s popularity), the Philistines (remember Goliath?), Absalom (David’s own rebellious son!), Ahithophel (David’s trusted advisor), Sheba (a Benjamite who led a revolt against David), and many foreign nations who waged war on Israel while David was king. How did David handle his enemies? He prayed. He followed God’s ways. He listened for God’s voice. And finally, he trusted that what God said was truth. It’s that simple.
But not really. It is hard to identify our enemies at times. Many of David’s enemies were friends and family members who betrayed him. David probably had a difficult time believing that those trusted people were indeed his enemy. And this will happen to us as well. That’s how crafty Satan is. He will use people in our lives, whom we have learned to trust, to attack us when we least expect it.
Consider Jesus. When Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was, Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”1 Jesus commended him for understanding this truth, but later when Peter told Jesus he would never let anything bad happen to him Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me.”2 Satan tried to use Peter to stop Jesus from completing his mission! Jesus, of course, recognized what was happening and was not deceived.
That is mostly what Satan does—he deceives us and tricks us into believing his false truths. Then when things fall apart, even the godly often blame God and cry out How could God let that happen to me? That was Job’s story. When everything was taken from him, his initial response was “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”3 As time passed, however, Job succumbed to the weight of his grief and began to blame God for his suffering. That’s when God stepped in and set Job straight. (To read more about it, pick up a copy of Miserable Comforters!)
God is not to blame for our suffering. He is not our enemy. Ever. That is why it is crucial to be able to identify who the enemy is. How do we do this? The best weapon we have is the Holy Spirit. He often speaks to us through our conscience. If we are seeking God daily, he will be that quiet inner voice. Paul talked about it in his letters to Timothy. He warned Timothy to beware of those who had wandered away from their faith and no longer had “a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”4 Paul also explained that the only way to “wage the good warfare” is by “holding faith and a good conscience.”5
A good conscience is one that is Christ conscious, awake in Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit. Having that good conscience allows us to trust our inner voice, which some people refer to as their gut feeling. As we mature in Christ, our ability to hear God’s voice will grow clearer and clearer, and the Holy Spirit will give us “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”6 So, in order to recognize Satan, we will need to constantly practice paying attention to the Holy Spirit who will give us the power to discern good from evil. Then, of course, we will need to trust that our gut feeling is God speaking and go with that.
This lesson is a hard one, and we will lose many battles. The good news is this: Satan has been defeated. Our struggle is temporary. In the meantime, let us remember God’s commission to us all: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”7
1Matthew 16:16 2Matthew 16:23 3Job 1:21 41 Timothy 1:5 51 Timothy 1:18-19 6Hebrews 5:14 7Joshua 1:9