WHEN GOD IS USING

THE ENEMY

Daniel C. Okpara

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 NOTE:
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 GOD CAN USE THE ENEMY

ne of the greatest tests of our Christian life is that we can

be in the will of God and still be attacked. Yes, you can be
doing all the right things and still be attacked.

Once, Jesus told His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
But as soon as they started the journey to the other side, a furious
storm attacked their boat and tried to sink it.

They were in God’s perfect will, doing the right thing, at the right
time. But the enemy still stirred the elements of nature to attack
them. They had to learn the power of putting their faith to work.

The fact that you are being attacked or that

you have troubles in your life does not mean
you are doing some irresponsible things, or
that you have failed God.

Sometimes, problems in our lives are not a proof that we messed

things up. It’s the enemy trying to stop us from crossing over to the
other side of our lives and destinies.
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 UNSETTLED FOR HIS ASSIGNMENT

God chose David to replace Saul. That was a perfect will of God. But
it came with so many troubles that you’d wonder if God truly
commanded that he be anointed king. The moment the anointing
came on him, hell broke loose. Everything turned against him.

His master, king Saul, suddenly started trying to kill him. His
family forsook him. He ran away from the nation he was anointed
to lead and became a fugitive. From a simple daily routine of
shepherding his father’s sheep, he suddenly found himself in a
mass of problems, contentions, and controversies that was enough
to destroy any man.

I had to ask myself as I thought about this recently, “Was the

anointing an invitation for troubles?”

Without the anointing, David was fine. Yes, he had some problems,
but they weren’t that much. Some animals constantly attacked his
sheep, but he handled them well. His family also didn’t like him
that much, but it wasn’t a very big deal.

The day he was anointed, that was the day, the big problems
started. That was the day almost everyone who was close to him
and could help him started to hate him. His boss suddenly became
his worst enemy.

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Who says the anointing will always make people to like you?

Well, sorry. Not always.

Sometimes, the proof of God’s presence in

your life is the hatred and attacks here and
there.

The anointing will, every so often, attract many troubles that will
inconvenience you before it enthrones you. It might first unsettle
you before it settles you. David had to learn this from experience.
There was no book to read or a coach to tell him about it.

Whenever it seems you are troubled on all sides, and you are doing
all the warfare you know how to do, well, maybe God is preparing
you for something bigger than your personal plans can handle.

When God allows problems and situations to suddenly take away

your once peaceful, quiet, and simple life, it is because He is
preparing you for a bigger role and responsibility in life. He is
stirring your nest and preparing you to learn to fly.

Every time He unsettles you, it is because there are things He is

preparing you to settle with time. You may not like it, and honestly,

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no one likes such changes, but they are the materials that builds the
next phase of God’s assignment for our lives.

“The things the enemy uses against us are

what God uses to advance us.”

When Joseph’s brothers fought to destroy his dreams, their attacks

culminated to the realization of the dreams. The attacks birthed the
dreams.

Someone said that “When God determines a promotion for you, the
devil is the one that carries out the exams.” So, while the devil and
his human agents may be thinking that they are hitting you hard,
they are unknowingly working for God’s purpose to be realized in
your life.

Today, I am inspired to tell you that even your enemies are working
for you. Everything that seems to be against you right now are, in
reality, working to bring you to your place of divine settlement.
Keep holding unto His promises for your life. Keep holding on the
Word.

If the powers against you think that they have you cornered, they
are forgetting (and you might have to remind them) that it is God

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who has the final say. And God is for you. He will never let the
enemy succeed in destroying His plans for your life.

WORKING WITH THE ENEMY

David fled from king Saul with some six hundred men and their
households to a Philistine territory. There he was forced into a
superfluous partnership with them. A philistine king of Gath,
Achish, gave him a place called Ziklag to live with his men. For a
season, He had to learn how to work with the enemy.

1 Samuel 27:5-6 (NLT) - 5 One day David said to Achish, “If it is

all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns
instead of here in the royal city.” 6 So Achish gave him the town of
Ziklag which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day

Sometimes, God may open some strange doors in your life that
would mean working with an enemy. It may be in the office,
business, ministry, or whatever. When that happens and you didn’t
do anything to force such situations, know that God is teaching you
to understand how the mind of the enemy works. It is for a season.
It is one of the processes that prepares you for bigger tasks and
responsibilities for God and humanity.

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For a season in his life, David, ran to his enemy for help. Remember
he once killed Philistine’s greatest warlord and giant, Goliath. Now
he is in their country for safety. How come, and why?

God was granting him the opportunity to

learn the operational procedures of his
enemies so as to prepare him for future
victories. He was teaching him that, in life,
you may need your enemies sometimes.

He had to form a disingenuous relationship with the nation he once

killed their greatest warrior. They gave him the town of Ziklag,
perhaps, to secure his support or neutrality in case of a war.

Ziklag became a base for David’s military operations. Many

disillusioned Israeli warriors would come to this town and join
David’s army. And for more than sixteen months David lived in the
town, trained his men, and carried out military operations from
there.

A time came when the Philistines, David’s host, was going to war
against the Israelites. I believe, to convince the Philistines that he
was loyal, David offered to join them to fight Israel. Thankfully, the

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Philistines refused, saying that he may sabotage the war to regain
favor with Saul.

4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said,
“Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned
him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us
during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor
than by taking the heads of our own men? 5 Isn’t this the David they
sang about in their dances: “‘Saul has slain his thousands, and
David his tens of thousands’?” – 1 Samuel 29:4-5

I believe God prevented this move from happening. If the

Philistines had accepted David to fight along with them, it would
have pitched him against his people. He (David) would have killed
his own people. Or even killed Saul, something he knew was wrong.

This is where I had to pray three prayers and I think you should
pray them with me:

1. O Lord, may my needs not push me to forming wrong

alliances, ties, and relationships, in Jesus name.
2. By Your mercy, Lord, protect me in my hours of need. Frustrate
any decision, agreement, or move that will put my needs against
Your will and purpose for my life, in Jesus name.
3. Father, may I never find myself fighting against your people. Even
when I am offended, hurt, and betrayed, help me by Your Spirit to
focus my eyes on Your promises and not on my immediate needs.

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 Help me to always remember to trust Your judgment and
vengeance, in Jesus name.

David and his men left the meeting and returned to their base,
Ziklag. On returning, they saw that Ziklag had been raided by the
Amalekites, another longtime enemy of Israel and David. As the
Bibles writes,

1 Samuel 30: 1-3 - “They found that the Amalekites had made a
raid on the Negev (the South country) and Ziklag and had
overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; and they had taken
captive the women and all who were there, both small and great.
They killed no one, but carried them off to be used as slaves and
went on their way.”

This was too much for his men to bear. They couldn’t find anyone
to hold responsible for the mess, so they blamed David, their
leader. They were so discontent that they almost stoned him. They
did not even consider that David’s family was also in the problem.

But notice something. The Amalekites struck the town while David
and his men were away.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 13: 25, 27: “But while men
slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went
his way… He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this…”

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In this parable, the enemy attacked while men were sleeping and
planted tares among the wheat. He sneaked in and sneaked out. A
typical attitude of a thief. And we know who the thief is.

This was exactly what the enemy did with David, too. They came
when David and his men were not around and plundered their
land, destroyed their homes, and took their families captive. If
David and his men were in town when they came, they would have
failed.

What does that mean?

The enemy attacks in periods of vulnerability, weakness,

helplessness, and away moments. We must learn to turn our
vulnerabilities, fears, and hurts to God every day. That’s how to
guard our lives and environments from the enemy. More about
“Turning Vulnerability into Divine Ability” in the next chapter.

GOD, WHY DIDN’T YOU PROTECT THEM?

So, David comes home and sees his base raided, his home
destroyed, and his wife and children taken into captivity. Everyone
who looked up to him is now against him. He’s running away from
the enemy at home, and still gets tracked and crushed by another
enemy?
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“God, why didn’t you, at least, protect him at this time? You cand
do that, but You didn’t, why?”

That was my question here.

Try and look over into David’s mind a bit and ask what was going
on in his thoughts during this time. I mean, how was he processing
the whole dilemma? He was human.

If I were in his shoes, I would probably ask myself,

 Why are all these things happening to me?

 How can God say that I am a king, yet I am having only troubles
in my life?
 How couldn’t God protect my family, even though He had the
power?
 Are you sure I am not wasting my time believing and thinking
that there is hope for a better tomorrow?
 Here I am, living in my enemy’s territory, and even forming
alliances with them. What is really going on?
 Why me, Lord, why me?

It was bad enough that he was now a fugitive for refusing to kill
God’s anointed. Now, he was about to lose the trust of his men, too.

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 HE CRIED, BUT STILL TRUSTED

Bible scholars say that Psalm 18 was written around or after this
time IN David’s life, and if that is true, then the Psalm gives us a
picture of the emotions that ran through David. Verses 4-6 says,

“The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over

me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my
path. But in my distress, I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my
God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him
reached his ears (NLT).”

This is clearly telling us that David did not form a macho man
during this time. He didn’t say, “Hey guys! I’m a tough guy. I’ll deal
with this, okay.”

He cried when he had to cry. He wept when he had to weep. He was

confused when he had to be confused. He felt frustrated when he
had to. But he continued to trust God and pray.

Faith is not forming macho and pretending that the problems,

crisis, and pains are not real.

You’re not faithless when you cry and need help.

You’re not lost when you feel discouraged and confused.

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You’re not spiritually small when you feel frustrated because of
what is happening in and around your life.

“Sometimes, faith is crying but still trusting

God, being confused but still trusting God,
being frustrated but still believing.”

David felt deeply distressed because of what happened. Other

words that possibly fit the description of his situation are agony,
torture, anguish, pain, misery, and torment. He felt bad. He was
human. But he still trusted and prayed.

And this is what I am telling you today. You may be feeling very
bad now but keep trusting and praying.

The enemy may be around you now like a flood, from all sides, and
you feel frustrated. But keep trusting and praying.

You may not feel God’s presence in any way right now and things
may be looking like even your prayers are causing more problems.
But keep on keeping on. Keep trusting and praying.

Keep on praying even when you don’t feel like praying. Keep
praying even when you feel abandoned. Keep praying even if you
feel you’re wasting your time.
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You will surely pull through no matter where you are today.

The troubles in your life now are paving the way for the miracles
you need. The problems will not consume you. God is still with you
even if you don’t feel it. And just as He delivered David from all his
enemies, He will surely deliver you.

LIFT YOUR VOICE AGAINST THE ENEMY

Today, I challenge you to lift up your voice against the activities of

the enemy. Tell him and his agents and powers that they will not
succeed in your life, marriage, ministry, and home.

The loss was caused by the enemy, not God. The attacks are done
by the enemy, not God. The delays and disappointments are the
works of the enemy, not God.

Come against the works of the enemy today.

Yes, God will turn the situation around for your good, but the
enemy is the one who created the situation.

Like David, rise up, encourage yourself, and go after the enemy.
Enforce your victory in Christ, and demand full restoration of
whatever is damaged or attacked in your life, family, and destiny,
in Jesus name.

You will win.

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 PRAYERS
1. Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are always with me. Even
when I don’t feel it, You are with me. Even when I don’t see signs,
You are with me. Even when I feel attacked, You are with me. Even
when I am not happy, You are with me. You never leave nor forsake
me. I say, Be glorified forever and ever, in Jesus name.

2. O Lord, I ask that You keep me planted in You always. When

storms rage against me and when things on the outside attack, keep
me ever planted in You. Remind me always that nothing can
destroy Your plans for my life. Help me to stand and keep standing
no matter what happens in and around my life, in Jesus name.

3. Today, I declare before heaven and earth that God is good. He is

good to all those who look up to Him. He is good to me and my
household. His love is ever with us, and His faithfulness is forever
and ever, in Jesus name.

4. Father, by Your Spirit, open my eyes, give me a discerning heart,

and show me the doors that I have knowingly or unknowingly
opened to the enemy of my soul and destiny. Help me to find these
doors and close them perpetually, in Jesus name.

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5. I surrender all my fears, unbelief, and hardness of heart to You,
Lord. Uproot them from me and make my heart ready for an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name.

6. I pray today, Lord, close the doors of unforgiveness, fear,

unbelief, and negative thinking in my life. Close them today and
forever, in Jesus name.

7. From this day on, I stand on the authority I have in Christ. I

cancel every evil voice of the enemy in my mind, in Jesus name.

8. Every fear and negative rehearsal going on in my mind, cease

forthwith. I command fear to be replaced with faith, courage, and
boldness, and I command all negative thoughts and rehearsals to
be replaced with divine ideas and strategies, in Jesus name.

9. In the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke the devil and all his demons
and agents that have tried and may still be trying to cause
confusion, destruction, delay, and failure, in my life and family. I
bind them today and cast them into the abyss, in Jesus name.

10. Satan, hear me and hear me well. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that
rebukes you now. You lost at the Cross, and you will remain a loser.
I command you to take your hands off my life, marriage, finances,
and destiny, in Jesus name.

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11. I declare total restoration over my life and family today. I invite
heaven’s carpenters and repairers to start repairing whatever have
been damaged in my body and in my life, in Jesus name.

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SOMETHING GOOD IS ON
YOUR WAY

Daniel C. Okpara

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17. 7 Days Prayer Devotional Against Spiritual Bondage.

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