Introduction
It may be an uncomfortable truth, but you have enemies. Don’t pretend otherwise. You are amongst the ranks of the church militant. Congrats.
Your Enemies
- Sin – Internal
- World – External
- Devil – Supernatural
Like Moses
During the wilderness wanderings Moses led Israel in a daily liturgy: Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when [the ark] rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel (Num 10:35-36).
Your battle with sin must be met with firm faith in the covenant promises found in the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat. Does your private life reflect your public baptism? If you would leave your sin it will not be because you find it inconvenient or you get bored of it. Sin is overcome when you behold a greater glory in Christ.
You do not have a high enough view of God. Is there sin in your life that you continually struggle with? Then fix your eyes on Christ.
Like Jehoshaphat
Steadfast worship of the living God. Do you sing with all your might?
Now the enemies in the world are daunting as well. How are they scattered? Jehoshaphat gives us a wonderful example. You commit yourself to sincere worship of the living God.
Imagine the people of God gathering each Lord’s Day to worship the Lord with eagerness, to hear God’s word with zealous faith, and to confess their sins diligently. Our worship is formal, but that doesn’t mean it should be frumpy. Use your outdoor voice.
You stand, right now, before the presence of the only Living God. This God made everything visible and invisible. He wrote the code that is your DNA, and because He is the only truly original author He wrote a different code for every other creature upon earth. And you doubt that true worship of this God will have no effect?
Like Christ
The Lord scattered His enemies through humility, sacrifice, and death. If you want your enemies to flee before you, you must follow in Christ’s footsteps. You must humble yourself. You must die to your pride and prestige. You must die to your fear of man. You must die to your desire to be well-liked by everyone. You must give up all your false opinions, all your lies, all your idols. You have to die. And the only way for you to die is to die in Christ.
Those who are in Christ share in His crushing the serpent’s head. So you must place your faith, entirely, and without qualification in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
And if you do so, you will find that all your shame and guilt is driven away. Every temptation that you are confronted with must not be faced by your own power, but you will be given the power of the Spirit of Jesus to overcome your sin, and repent of your sin when you do sin.
You’ll also find that your life becomes the sort of life which causes unbelievers to ask about the hope you have, and cling to you asking you to show them the way to God. And you must be certain that although there will be profoundly wicked tyrants who will not swerve from their designs against the saints, the Lord has promised that the worst they can do is kill you. And if you have rested in Christ, you too will cry out with the martyred saints before the throne of God, “How long oh Lord?” Jesus the Savior will one day return as the Judge and will make all things right.
That same Jesus, who died and rose again, summons you to rest in Him. And then you can face all foes with that wonderful confidence described in the 57th Psalm.
