“Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.” (Psalm 35:1 NIV)
God knows who your true enemies are.
You may think you know, but you don’t know. We get our enemies so wrong. We fight the wrong battles. We put energy into a battle that doesn’t exist, because we think we know what people are thinking. We think we understand their hearts intent, but we don’t. We create enemies that don’t exist.
Meanwhile, God knows who the real enemies are. He’s fighting the battle we ignore because we’re focused on the wrong thing. God contends for us in the battle.
God contends for us in the battle.
When I’m on a zoom chat and I see the deadpan faces of others, I try not to assign emotion based on their look. Zoom has taught me what I look like when I’m listening, it isn’t what I thought. Where I thought I had a pleasant look on my face, I now know, it’s just plain. No look whatsoever. Now I understand why strangers have come up to me and said, “Smile, life isn’t that bad.” The lack of emotion on my face makes me look sad. People could make lots of wrong assumptions because of how I look.
We assume we know. We read into words or actions meanings that are incorrect. We form the wrong conclusions in our minds about who is our enemy and who isn’t. God knows who is truly fighting against us, often our biggest enemy is ourselves. We think we know, so we assume. God knows the truth.
God knows the things we say to ourselves that aren’t true. He knows the lies we believe. He knows the actions we take that hurt ourselves more than anyone else. Lord knows, I’m my own worst enemy. Only through Him have I learned to not trust myself when I make a snap decision. God reveals the truth in time, but I have to wait.
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28 NIV)
God contends with our enemies by how we treat them. We are to love and pray for them. Which is why we should love and pray for ourselves. If we are our own worst enemy, then only God can protect us from ourselves. A common prayer I pray: “Lord protect me from myself.”
As I look back over my life, I’ve been my own worst enemy. The mistakes I’ve made are a result of the decisions I made. No one else is to blame. But God protected me. He taught me. He carried me. He contended with me when no one else did.
God contends for us, especially when we’re the enemy.
Question of the Day:
Have you ever considered your worst enemy is yourself?
Further Reading: Nehemiah 12:27-13:31 NIV, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 NIV, Psalm 35:1-16 NIV, Proverbs 21:17-18 NIV
