NO MORE ENEMIES

Under the Old Covenant, the children of Israel had many foes, and were involved in many battles and wars, in which
they were to kill their enemies. (Joshua 6:16-17; 2021 and 1 Samuel 15;3) Under the New Covenant, we as believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ seem to have many enemies as well; trials and temptations of every kind: sickness and sin,
Satan & demons, principalities and powers, persecution and sinful people around us, and most of all, our own
thoughts. Yet the New Testament teaches us to deal with these enemies in a much different way than the Old
Covenant taught the children of Israel to deal with their adversaries.

From Ephesians 6:12 we know that that the warfare that we are involved in is not natural, but spiritual. Likewise 2
Corinthians 10:4-5 shows us that the battleground of this warfare is not on the earth, but takes place in our minds.

James1:2-4 says to CONSIDER IT PURE JOY, MY BROTHERS, WHEN YOU FACE TRIALS OF MANY KINDS, BECAUSE
YOU KNOW THAT THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH DEVELOPS PERSERVERANCE, PERSEVERENCE MUST FINISH IT'S
WORK SO THAT YOU MAY BE MATURE & COMPLETE, NOT LACKING ANYTHING . (NIV) I am sure that every one of us
would like to be mature and complete, not lacking anything. In order for this to happen, perseverance must finish it's
work. Perseverance has a job to do. Its job is to make us mature and complete, not lacking anything. The fact is
because of our union with Christ (1Corinthians 6: 15,17), we are already in this state. So, the job that perseverance
has is to make us realize that we already are mature and complete, not lacking anything in spirit, thereby making that
a reality in the outer realm. Perseverance uses some very special tools to accomplish this task. The tools may be
different for each individual, but they are purposed to accomplish the same task.

It has often been my experience, and I have seen it to be the experience of almost every believer, that when trials
do come, we have one of two reactions: either we say “Why me, Lord?” and get all upset at God; or we pour all of our
energies into fighting Satan: binding, loosing, rebuking. resisting, etc. Both of these reactions are actually resisting the
work that perseverance is trying to do. When we resist that work, perseverance cannot finish it's work – it cannot make
us mature & complete. We should not resist it, but accept the work that perseverance is attempting to do in us. Let
perseverance use it's proper tools – the trials of many kinds – to make you mature & complete, not lacking anything,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, (Ephesians 4:13.

Peter spoke of this same subject in 1Peter 4:12-13. DEAR FRIENDS, DO NOT BE SURPRISED AT THE PAINFUL
TRIAL YOU ARE SUFFERING, AS THOUGH SOMETHING STRANGE WERE HAPPENING TO YOU. BUT REJOICE THAT YOU
PARTICIPATE IN THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST, SO THAT YOU MAY BE OVERJOYED WHEN HIS GLORY IS REVEALED .
Again we are not to react negatively when trials come our way. Instead, we are to allow them to reveal the glory of God
in us.

Here is where the mind comes in to all of this. Consider it pure joy.....Think about and dwell on the fact that
perseverance is at work, using it's tools to make you mature and complete, bringing you into the place where you will
begin to see the glory of God that is already in you, so that His glory can be revealed and expressed through you to all
of creation, Rejoice!

Romans 8:28 says WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD,
ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE (KJV) Verses 29-30 go on to show us that we are the ones that He foreknew, and
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, and called... So we know that all things work together for good
to us! God has also justified and glorified us. WHAT, THEN, SHALL WE SAY IN RESPONSE TO THIS? IF GOD IS FOR US,
WHO CAN BE AGAINST US? (NIV) The answer, of course, is no one! No one can be against us. No thing is against us,
either! All things are for us! ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD... So every bad thing that comes our way, every
trial, every attack from every enemy is for our good. They are only tools in the hands of perseverance, making us
mature and complete. We have no enemies! Satan himself is not our enemy. It is true that he attacks, steals, kills,
destroys, lies & accuses. That is his ministry, if you will. We know that from the book of Job that the Adversary can do
nothing except he is sent by God. (Job 2:4-6) He is simply one of the perseverance – who is making us mature &
complete, not lacking anything.

We have no enemies! Nothing works against us! Sickness, lack of finances, emotional & mental problems,
personality conflicts, stress accidents, deaths, everyday inconveniences, etc, etc. All things work for us! The day we
can “fully grasp” this truth and see trials as they really are – not as our enemies, but as tools to bring us to the place
where God's glory is revealed through us – that is the day we will be able to rejoice and count it all joy in the face of
every and any trial.

We are the called of God, the children of the King who is ruling and reigning over all things. Glory and honor to His
name forever....Untitled!