Looking Out for The Enemy Within

 

Sometime ago, I wrote an article about ‘the enemy within’, I discovered that the enemy within is much more subtle, twice smart, more dangerous and unfortunately, we can be much more vulnerable to them than we are to the whips of the many enemies outside.

The enemy within knows that you are relaxed and comfortable with him, so he struggles to keep that trust, he plays the master game of blind-folding, he is the architect of deception, he plans it and cunningly executes it, and while he stabs you, you may be tempted to praise him and even cry on his shoulders, because he has mastered the art of secretly keeping you in detention yet showing up as the pleasant saviour. 

“Oh, Samson the Philistines are after you” she would cry out as though she wanted well for him, yet she was the chief architect, master planner for Samson’s capture. 

Can you remember the story of Delilah told in Judges 16?

It is true that Delilah played a destructive role, it is true she was an arch-enemy, a betrayer, posing as a friend, yet in Samson’s life were character flaws, weaknesses (I choose to call these ‘the enemy within’) that opened the door for the enemy outside to gain entrance and strike unevenly, 

The city Gideon lived was full of dread, they were subjected to hardship, the people of the land were in constant fear, living in dens and craving liberty from the hands of the midianites whom they thought was the ‘enemy’ they never knew they had an enemy within- their sinful actions and evil deeds- that caused them to be exposed to the enemy outside-the midianites, Amalekites and people from the East.

This is so true in our daily interactions and living; understanding that they are things we can do, things we can believe, that can really make us vulnerable and defeated even to the passer-by enemy around and this is a no respecter of person; Samson was anointed, he had the strength to conquer a thousand enemies just like Gideon’s towns men, they were God’s chosen, favoured but the moment the began to host an enemy within, they slowly began to unknowingly open the door for the enemy outside to execute a plan for their downfall.

The enemy outside

always seeks alliance, and that is why regardless of how armed the enemies of Samson were and how deceptive Delilah was, they altogether could do Samson no harm until Samson opened up, now here is the real enemy- the enemy within-and it could be anything; lust, greed, inferiority, timidity, laziness, arrogance.

Think about the things you are currently doing; are they building you up? Or are they destroying you? Are you currently doing something today that will slowly but definitely destroy you?

That is the real enemy; they could be habits, associations, anything at all that sometimes seems to be pleasurable yet is distracting you from moving forward in life, that is the ‘enemy within’ it blind-folds, and slowly you are addicted, it gains control and begins to seek an occasion for your down fall.

God Forbid! This is not what I wish any of us and that is why we must not forget Truth 6,

TRUTH 6: You Can’t Be Defeated Within And Still Seek To Live A Victorious Life, SHUT OUT THE ENEMY WITHIN!