The enemy you’re afraid of may be more afraid of you…

           For the past two weeks I have shared thoughts around the theme of a “tiny staple.” This week, I found myself reading over those two posts. I sometimes do that to encourage my own self but this week I decided to read them again to see if there was anything else I could glean from the idea.  What caught my attention was the issue of fear. We usually look at fear from our standpoint as we try to deal with and even cast it out of us. We know how crippling it can be and the importance therefore of dealing with it so that we can be all that we can for the kingdom of God. 
         But, here’s something interesting to think about. We know that the enemy uses fear to cripple and hinder us. But why would he want to do that? In the animal kingdom we know that sometimes an animal may attack when it is afraid or feels intimidated by another. It may never attack, when you think about it, if it does not feel fear. I thought of this in the context of the prophet Elijah and the king of Syria (2 Kings 6:8-14). The king of Syria was actually afraid of Elijah. He realized that this man possessed a power he did not have hence the need to send an army to capture one man! He could have sent a few choice men but instead he sent an entire army. In the king of Syria’s eyes, this prophet was a major threat to him and his kingdom and he decided to pull out all the stops to capture him and save his kingdom.
         Imagine the devil being just as afraid of us!!! He pulls out all the stops to stop us and, unfortunately, we usually fall for it! He summons his armies and his choicest demons to fight against us. Why? Because he sees how big we are in Christ. He knows we don’t know it so he uses deception and intimidation to scare us and stop us from doing what God has created us to do. He may not know all that God has planned for each of us but he knows that once God is on our side he is indeed defeated. We are the ones who have to KNOW what the devil knows about us. Elijah knew who he was and who his God was so he was not in the least bit intimidated by Syria’s large army (2 Kings 6:16).
          As a child of God you have to know who you are and whose you are. You have to remember that your God will fight for you and defend you (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 3:22; 20:4)  Romans 8:37 says that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loved you.  Know that God’s armies are always there – and they are – watching over you and always ready to defend you and well able to help you fulfill the destiny God has planned for you. And know and accept the reality that you are of a greater threat to the enemy's kingdom than you can imagine!

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