Enemies of a Christian

While we actively pursue a Christian walk, the Bible warns us of the enemies that we must always be on the lookout for. These enemies try to waver our faith, slide us away from our path, basically making it difficult to run the faithful journey. There may be several enemies, but they can be summarized into three main enemies:

[1] The Devil, Satan.

1 Peter 5: 8, 9 V8 tells the problem - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

The Bible calls him “the wicked one,” “the devil,” “a murderer,” “a liar, and the father of lies,” “an adversary” who seeks to devour. The moment you accepted Christ as your Savior, Satan has already had a tremendous defeat. As a result, he is going to constantly try and tempt us, leading us to sin.

V9 gives the solution - Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

You are not alone in this. When this happens, it is only emphasizing the fact that you are saved. And all the other brothers and sisters in faith experience the same thing.

[2] The World.

Romans 12: 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

When we say world, we talk about the various systems of the world, the philosophies of the world, the fake news, fake religions, ideas developed by men who just resist the truth and God. The world is our enemy, and conformity to the world is the sin. How do we face this enemy? By constantly renewing our mind, and transforming ourselves.

[3] The Sin Nature.

Romans 6: 11 - 13 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Yes we are free from the power of sin, but we are still in the mortal bodies while we live here in this world, therefore, we are still having the sin nature within us, which is the greatest enemy that can strike us when we least expect it. Believers, freed from sin’s reign and alive to God with the hope of eternal life, are called to pursue holiness earnestly. Though sinful desires may persist, through God’s grace they will not dominate the true Christian. The love of Christ and the power of God’s promises are the strongest motives to resist sin and live righteously.