Sunday: Knowing Your Enemy
Someone once said this about his enemy: I see him every day-when I’m shaving.
This is exactly what James wants us to recognize: our greatest enemy is ourselves. Salvation begins by seeing who we really are, not who we imagine ourselves to be.
Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com
Read James 1:23-24. Who is described here, and what is the basic problem?
While there is nothing wrong with looking our best, many people spend a great deal of time and money to improve their appearance. But we need to make sure that we don’t deceive ourselves. James says we need to get a better view of ourselves, no matter how much we might not like what we see.
Read Matthew 19:16-22, Matt. 26:33-35, Matt. 26:69-75. How does the self-image of each of these two men compare with the reality? What do their two different reactions to Jesus’ words say about them?
The rich young man thought he had been keeping the commandments. Suddenly he was challenged to adhere to a different kind of obedience, one that he had never anticipated, one that went much deeper than mere outward compliance to rules and regulations. (See Rom. 7:7.)
Peter, like this young man, also had a distorted picture of himself. Self-confidently he predicted that even if everyone else should stumble and fall away, he would remain faithful–even if it cost him his life. But neither realized how tightly sin held him in its grasp. Both were self-deceived about their true spiritual state. Peter, however, eventually was converted. As far as we know, the rich young ruler wasn’t.
It’s always so easy to see the faults in others but not in ourselves, right? Deep down, though, we probably are more aware of our faults that we want to admit. Look deep into your own soul. What does this view tell you about why you must have a Savior?
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What's the difference between a hearer and a doer?
There was a time when I was drinking coffee, I would say I know its not good for me, but I would carry on drinking it.
Although I said "know it isn't good" I obviously didn't really believe it because otherwise I would have stopped. But then I realized I couldn't kick the habit by myself, so I asked God to take away my desire for coffee and he did! No more coffee for me!
Sometimes we hear/see where we are not in harmony with the will of God, we try to ignore it, but God keeps bringing it to our attention, so we try to change on our own but that doesn't work, so we do what we should have done in the first place, we take it to God and ask Him to change our hearts. We become happier and more fulfilled the closer we come to living in harmony with the LORD!
Knowing my enemy doesn't mean I've conquered him. From experience, (I'm 69yrs) I know that to make changes is hard and can only be made on your knees. There is a saying that says that you can measure your spirituality by the amount of pain it takes to make changes. Like the rich young ruler. I just Know that I NEED a Savior or else I'm lost.
Much as we struggle with the phenomenon of sin, every averaged christian should know that the first rule in a spiritual battle field is 'know your enemy '.The enemy within is far much less formidable than the enemy without, and, the battle is in the mind /emotion where the two forces are struggling to gain control. We should always submit to the Lord in faith, accepting His counsel and following His instructions, so then, shall we discern the real enemy stalking in us
Thanks for the comment above.I however think the enemy within is far more formidable and without God's intervention as I humble myself and acknowledge needing His help, I will succumb to this enemy.
Selfishness really is our greatest enemy. It robs us of an eternity of happiness and peace starting now.
God's Love is our Saviour. It saves us from eternal ruin and unhappiness that is natural to us.
We cannot make true Love, however. It is not natural to us. This Love of God must be given to us and received by us. When we accept this Love we are are then united with God and all His children. We also unite with those who do not know this Love where they are susceptible to Christ's Spirit. Our job as I see it is to watch for the work of Christ's Spirit where He is working. Usually He is working where there is difficulty in the life. We can there be an encouragement in the life of that person to let the Holy Spirit have His way and to continue to "watch and pray" that they never let go of that Spirit and revert to selfish motivation.
Note how Christ portrayed perfection in His instruction to the rich young ruler. Said He, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21). This was what Jesus told the disciples (Luke 12:33; Mark 8:34) and what the disciples did (Mark 10:28-30). The New Testament church also acted on this instruction (Acts 2:45; 4:34, 35).
Perhaps the biggest problem of the rich young ruler was independence. He was willing to do a few commendable things in the law, and even identify with the Good Teacher, but would not relinquish self-government. He must retain enough riches to support himself, make his own decisions, and not have the brethren tell him anything about his property or how to live. Here is a brother who represents ‘do as I please believers,’ who have a problem with inspired counsel from the Holy Spirit.
Apparently Jesus was saying to the rich young ruler, and by extension to all prospective disciples, self-denial and dependence are prerequisites to perfection.
Self-independence is probably the enemy we should be most guarded against because it leaves us with a sense of confidence in our own selves. Those who are willing to depend on the Savior learn to distrust themselves. They surrender and make changes when presented with truth, give up what they must and they grow in perfection.
One of the most frustrating things for me as a Christian is to want to do good only to realize, after situational smoke clears, that I missed the mark. It's especially discouraging if I thought for sure I was at least in the ballpark.
The rich young ruler isn't so different from the rest of Christian humanity. Working our way is a principle we believe in and even admire in each other.
Unless I'm willing to accept God's Word as it relates to righteousness my spiritual situation is as hopeless as his.
I must be willing to accept the fact that as far as righteousness goes, I don't have any, even if I didn't do what other people have done.
The battle truly is real in our heads/hearts. Good against evil.
We are our enemy but we must believe God's word and NOT our feelings or thoughts-they can be manipulated. Even though we feel unworthy....which we are....we must believe in God's ability to save us! in the victory He has already gained.
We must see our true self in order to see our need for Jesus. Focus on Him most and not ourselves or we will be sooooooo discouraged!
the old man in you is still alive.he is the one calling the shots .if you are truly repentant,the bible states clearly that the old man dies together with his desires and beyond a new creature is born.in short you are born again.how can you be born again if you never died at some point?so ,to be a bit direct,those who are still struggling with the desires of the world and flesh were baptised as dry sinners and came out of the water as wet sinners.no change in their life,the old man is still ruling.Jesus told Peter,"when you repent (converted),strengthen your brethren.
The question is ,Peter has been with Jesus for some years,how come Jesus is telling him of repentance.so its possible to claim to be a christian,to be church goers,to be active in church,to hold positions in church,to give tithe and offering and perform all religious duties and still not be converted.There is a great danger,check out the man/woman your see everyday in the mirror,it could be the that old man/woman who is still interested in the pleasures of the world.Dont be deceived, you are not what you are.
Peter only discovered this truth after denying Jesus three times.How long will it take you to realise that you are not what you are.How many times and how long should it take you to deny Jesus through your sinful life style and your cherished sins that you have hidden from your brethren which Jesus knows.Know your enemy -self.
I was surprised by the study's comments after James 1:23-24. To me the verses, though they discuss looking at oneself, don't mean worrying about appearance. I'm thinking the answer to the question, "What is the basic problem?" is: apathy, unflappability and indifference to the Word of God. In other words, one doesn't just need to hear the Word of God but we have to let it touch our hearts enough to want to obey (or want to take deep looks at ourselves and give the bad up for God's change.)