Understanding the Enemy
Dr. Marty Baker, Stevens Creek Community Church, Augusta, GA
www.stevenscreek.net
September 23, 2001
Video Clip from President Bush’s Address to Joint Session of Congress on September 20, 2001
America is under attack. It is not uncommon to hear the rhetoric of war in conversations across our land. Our leadership has committed to use all of our tools and weapons to fight this new war. As most of us think about this new engagement, we are confused about who our enemy really is. In the past, there was a land mass to conquer or a government to subdue; this war will be different.
As President Bush said Thursday evening, "The evidence that has been gathered points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al Qaeda." They have been involved with the bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for bombing the USS Cole." Now everything points to them in the hijacking and bombing of the World Trade Center and The Pentagon last week.
Over and over people in our land have wondered why this group hates America. Some have pointed to the fact that their leader Osama Bin Laden resented the Western Alliance occupying his homeland Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. He considered America’s Christianity, our association with Israel, our music, and the dress code a desecration of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthplace.
Some people feel that the conflict in the Middle East is relatively new, but it has been going on for centuries. In fact, it dates back to Abraham and Sarah in the book of Genesis.
God promised Abraham that he would be the Father of many nations. When Sarah entered her late seventies, she began to doubt God’s promise. She took matters into her own hands and offered her maid to Abraham so that she could bear children for Sarah.
Having children through a maid or concubine was a common practice in that culture, but there was one problem: it was not God’s plan.
Abraham and Sarah were trying to do God’s will, but they were doing it in their way. As a result, Sarah’s maid, Hagar, gave birth to a son she called Ishmael.
The birth of Ishmael caused enormous problems for Abraham, and continues to cause problems to this very day. For Ishmael is the father of the Arab nations. If it were not for this mistake of Abraham there may not be conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis.
The Arabs say that they are the sons of Abraham through Ishmael, and deserve to have the land promised to Abraham because they are the descendants of Abraham’s oldest son.
The Jews, on the other hand, claim that they are the legitimate sons of Abraham through Isaac, and therefore deserve to have the land promised to them by God.
The tension between these two groups of people have continued for generations. In many ways, we have attempted to walk the middle ground and remain friends with Arabs and Israelis, but the extreme segments of Arab fundamentalism considers us an evil force in the world.
In 1996, Osama Bin Laden issued a "Declaration of Jihad" - a holy war. Bin Laden’s intention is to overthrow the Saudi regime and drive the U.S. Forces out of the Middle East.
In 1998, he made another declaration that Muslims should kill Americans. Since that time our embassies, the USS Cole, the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon have been bombed. Over 7,000 citizens have lost their lives as a result of the Declaration of Jihad.
The difficult aspect of this conflict is that it does not necessarily involve a land mass that we can capture. Of course the talk is Afghanistan. The last time that an invading army conquered Afghanistan it was led by Alexander the Great. So, we have a challenge before us. Our leaders, our soldiers and our fellow citizens need prayer and divine wisdom as we march through the coming days.
For many here this morning, it is easy to take a back seat in this adventure. We view war as a necessary part of defending our freedom, but in a real sense it doesn’t involve us.
We live as though we do not have any enemies. We coast from day to day doing our own thing treating the nightly news as a Hollywood drama being played out in real time. It is a worldwide drama, but it is also a local production. You see, as we have discussed over the last several weeks, the correlation of National events and local living.
This morning let’s examine the nation’s crisis through personal eyes. Let’s bring this crisis down to where we live. What kind of enemies do you deal with on a daily basis? The philosopher Pogo once said, "We have found our enemy and it is us." Sometimes our greatest enemies are within.
I believe that just as America is wrestling with a covert enemy, many of us in this auditorium are in the midst of covert personal battles. Many are waging personal battles with the forces of evil.
We sometimes forget that we have an enemy. Our enemy seeks to control, manipulate and discourage us. He knows our weaknesses and brings temptations our way that appeal to our desires while destroying our character from the inside out. Our enemy rationalizes, confuses, and ultimately seeks to destroy what we hold dear.
We do have an enemy. His name is not Osama Bin Laden; nor is it the Taliban, nor Sadaam Hussein; our enemy is Satan, the prince and the power of the air. He has been waging war against God’s people since the Garden of Eden.
He specializes in ground troops, air attacks, and covert assaults. He will even approach you as an angel of light attempting to deceive believers in Christ.
Peter warns us of him in
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Satan’s favorite battleground is in your mind. He introduces thoughts into your mind with the desire to confuse you. He dulls your senses with subtle persuasions. Before you know it, there is a battle going on in your head.
This battle takes place in the minds of pre-Christians as Satan attempts to convince them that good works will get a person into heaven. This battle takes place in the minds of new believers as he attempts to convince them that since they are saved they can live as they choose.
This battle takes place in the minds of the mature believers as they wrestle with complacency and spiritual pride.
We all face the attacks of the enemy. Even the Apostle Paul faced the pressures of evil in his life. Listen to his words:
Romans 7:22-25
22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;
23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Paul understood that they greatest struggle of a person’s life is not the pressure from without, but the battle within. The battle of the mind and the battle of the heart will cause you more anguish than any other.
This battle rages at various times in your life; it’s a battle for inner peace; it is a struggle to understand the reason for our existence;
the direction of our path; and our final resting place. It is a struggle to understand that we have an enemy desires to hold us captive to our past and hold us in our pain.
Some people ignore it; some people deny it, while others deal with it on a partial basis. When ignored this struggle for peace can lead to unhealthy eating habits, unhealthy work patterns, uncontrolled spending, chemical abuse, insomnia, sickness, and so forth.
We attempt to cover our feelings with work, activity, food or drink. What’s the source of this conflict? What causes our strife?
What are some of the Causes of Inner Conflict?
1. Spiritual Void
2. Satanic Attacks
3. Unconfessed Sin
4. Unresolved Issues
5. Misplaced Priorities
6. Unclear Direction
How to Overcome Your Enemy
Spiritual Void
1. Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Lord and accept Him into your life.
(speak concerning the "God-shaped void" in individual’s lives ... call for it to be filled with Christ)
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Satanic Attacks
2. Realize that in Christ you have been given power to win.
(Speak of the power of God’s active presence to overcome the enemy)
1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Unconfessed Sin
3. Tell God Every Detail
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Psalm 66:18
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Unresolved Issues
4. Deal with Issues Quickly
Keep a short grudge list.
Ephesians 4:26, 31-32
26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Matthew 5:23-24
23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Misplaced Priorities
5. Order Your Private World
(Speak of the importance of priorities)
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Put God First in your life
Put God First in your family
Put God First in your careers
Put God First in your finances
Put God First in your troubles
Unclear Direction
6. Trust God with Your Future
(Speak that we do not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future!)
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
It is your responsibility to do three things:
a. Trust
b. Do not lean on your own understanding
c. Acknowledge Him
God responds by
Making your paths straight
Closing Thoughts.
Prayer
Congregational Song
