Week 20 Devotional | ENEMIES

Never forget that God knows the future and that adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.

Magic and Larry Bird had a legendary rivalry. As stated in a documentary about their rivalry, "They were two stars thrown together by the cosmos to compete (TheNBAHistorian, 2013)." They first met in college for the 1979 NCAA championship when Magic's Michigan State Spartans beat Larry's Indiana State Sycamores. Magic said that he had a real dislike for Larry. They played each other in the NBA Finals 3 times, and Magic won twice while Larry won once. Magic said the hate was so intense that he hated anybody in green. But he says that now they are great friends. They started as rivals and ENEMIES, but they pushed each other and they brought the best out in each other.

"LARRY, YOU WERE WHAT A BASKETBALL PLAYER SHOULD BE. THE BIGGEST REASON THAT I AM HERE IS BECAUSE OF YOU MAKING ME GO TO THAT GYM EVERY SUMMER, NOT ONLY STAYING FOR 4 HOURS, BUT I FIGURE I BETTER STAY FOR 6 BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WERE THERE ABOUT 5 OR 6 YOURSELF."

Rivals can push you farther than you can push yourself. Coach K, who as the coach of Duke represents one side of one of the greatest and most intense rivalries in college basketball said, "Great rivalries don't have to be built on hatred. They're built on respect, on respect for excellence." Duke has had some great battles with North Carolina, and their rivalry has helped push both of them to the top of college basketballs as two of the most accomplished, decorated, and celebrated programs in the country.

Pastor Andrew Forrest at Munger Place Church in Dallas approached the following question with his church, "How do you fight back against your enemies?" He said that if you live long enough, you will have ENEMIES, and it is important to know how to fight back against your ENEMIES in the name of Jesus. There might be people in your life who are deliberately lying about you, talking about you, and plotting against you. These people might be close to you. They might be your teammates, your friends, and even people in your family. This isn't something you should be afraid of, but something you should be prepared for.

As a follower of Jesus, should you fight back against your ENEMIES, and how do you fight back against your ENEMIES while leading with love? How do you take the risk to reach out to or confront your ENEMIES while living a life pleasing to God? Paul wrote about this in Philippians. Around AD 63, Paul was under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial before his ENEMIES, including Nero Cesar. In Philippians chapter 3, Paul describes how we can approach our ENEMIES.

Rejoice in the Lord
In Romans 3:1, Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you." No matter who our ENEMIES are and what they do, REJOICE in the Lord always and be full of joy. We know that for those who love God and who are called according to His purpose, all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Rejoice and be full of joy always knowing that God has everything already taken care of, and He will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, and He will counsel you with His eye upon you (Psalm 32:8).

Call Out and Confront Your ENEMIES (Appropriately)
Paul then writes in verse 2, "Look out for the dogs, and look out of the evildoers." He called their ENEMIES dogs, and he told his people to look out for them. There might be people out there deliberately lying about you, talking about you, and plotting against you. If you live long enough, you will find yourself with ENEMIES; people with ill-will and malevolent intent who are trying to destroy you and your life. As Paul writes, look out for them. Don't let them take you by surprise. Jesus had ENEMIES, and those ENEMIES betrayed Him and had Him hung on the cross. Jesus acknowledged one of His ENEMIES at the last supper before being betrayed. Don't run from your ENEMIES, and don't think that they don't exist. Be willing to acknowledge, call out, and confront them.

Know Who You Are Under the Grace and Power of God
One of the dangers of confronting your ENEMIES comes when you think you are morally and spiritually better than them. Know who you are, know your heart, reflect on your experiences, and know you are qualified and able to achieve great things, but also know that the grace of God and the Spirit is your superpower and the fact that Jesus was able to resurrect just days after the cross is our proof of His power and authority.

In verses 4-7, Paul wrote that he has reason to be confident in himself because of his past and experiences, his heritage, and because of his knowledge and education, but he writes that everything he knows, has, or has accomplished is 'rubbish' compared to what he has gained from knowing Christ Jesus as his Lord. Paul writes that he does not have a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but righteousness from God that depends on faith, and that he knows Jesus and the power of His resurrection.

Know That There Is Power In Suffering
Paul then writes in verse 10 that there is power in Jesus's resurrection and that he may know him and may share his sufferings, becoming like Him. When our ENEMIES attack us, it can hurt and cause us to suffer. It can hurt our pride, feelings, confidence, peace, and joy, and those attacks can negatively affect many parts of our lives. But Paul writes that suffering can bring us closer to God, especially when we learn that Jesus suffered too. We also know that Jesus overcame the world, and in Him, we may have peace. In Romans 5:3-5, it was written that we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, which produces character which produces hope. Verse 5 states that hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Our ENEMIES and adversity can be a bridge to a deeper trust and relationship with God. In The Life's Principles Bible, it was written, "People often ask, 'What is the quickest way through seasons of adversity?'" The response was, "There is one sure way through the difficulties of life, and that is through obedience and surrender of selfish feelings and desires."

Adversity and ENEMIES push us beyond ourselves and to God. When you are facing ENEMIES, pray without ceasing. In prayer, we can find peace and shelter from our ENEMIES and we can find guidance and wisdom on how to handle ourselves and our situation. God will be your light if you let Him. God will use your trials to shape your life so that you reflect his love and care to others (Stanley).

Never forget that God knows the future (Stanley). He knows what you are going through and what you are facing. Your path has already been written. God already knows what is going to happen, and He has a plan for you to prosper and plans for you to have hope and a future. God has plans. From the very beginning when He created this world, He had a plan.

Don't be afraid of your ENEMIES. Be prepared and confident to face and confront your ENEMIES while maintaining the peace, joy, love, and fruits of the Spirit.

This Week
Remember that an ENEMY can be a person, a place, a thing, or an event.

1 - What is one potential ENEMY that you might have this week?

2 - What is one way that you can beat this ENEMY?

3 - Who is someone that you can go to for help in beating this ENEMY?

4 - What is something that you can learn from facing, confronting, and defeating this ENEMY?

For a Google doc version of this devotional, click here: Week 20 Devotional | Enemies

References:

Dixon, Heather. "15 Versus That Prove God Has a Plan For Your Life." The Rescued Letters. Heather M. Dixon. 17 October 2016, https://therescuedletters.com/15-verses-that-prove-god-has-a-plan-for-your-life/.

Forrest, Andrew, hot. "How Not to Be a Victim." Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas. Munger Place Church, 15, May 2021, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/munger-place-church-dallas-texas/id501149943?mt=2.

Stanley, Charles. The Life Principles Bible. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982.

TheNBAHistorian. (2013, November 13). Magic Johnson and Larry Bird: A Courtship of Rivals Basketball [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axbIoHqFaa8&t=235s