1 Corinthians 16:9 – “for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”  NASB

I could address much of what is happening today in America and the world with a biblical and life reality.  I have never seen it fail when God beings to bless the devil gets his feathers ruffled and angry.  He beings to stir up opposition in every way he can.  Although he is a defeated foe, he has not been annihilated.  He is still around and still seeking to inflict harm and damage if we let him. 

God’s blessings bring the devil’s opposition.  It is not inconsequential that we are reminded that God and the devil are enemies.  God is completely Holy, and the devil is completely evil.  When they confront each other there is an explosive war that impacts the lives of everyone.  The devil opposes all that God does and he uses every tool he can muster.  He uses everything within his sphere of influence to stop the progress of the Church and the Kingdom of God.  He uses people, often without them being aware they are being manipulated.  (Matthew 16). 

The devil fights the Church and the Believer from two sides – From Without and From Within.  If we grasp that reality. we can decipher much of what happens in our world and rather than become distracted and target the wrong enemy we can fight the good fight of faith and use spiritual weapons pulling down spiritual strongholds.

The Opposition From Without.

Zechariah 3:1 – “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.”   Why do I include this passage?  To help us realize that the devil influences civic leaders as well as religious leaders.  Many of the things we see happening in our world are the direct result of opposition from hell.  The devil influences people to take steps and actions that hinder the Church, the Believer, and the Kingdom.

In Ezra 4:4 we see the reality of what I am suggesting, “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building…” A group of God’s people was seeking to complete the prophecy of restoration and those on the outside opposed them.  They sought to frustrate the purposes of God and did for a time, but God never quit being God.

The devil uses politicians, businessmen, and even religious leaders through sectarian opposition to hinder the work of God.  That is not unusual, and we see it today in America.  In Nehemiah 4 we have Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabians conspired to prevent the walls of Jerusalem from being restored.  Politicians use laws or interpretations of laws to hinder the Church.  The devil uses the laws of the land, politics and politicians, social organizations, and even religion to hinder the purposes of God. 

The devil’s prime objective is to hinder the work of the Church of Jesus Christ from fulfilling the purpose and plan of God.  He wants to hinder if not destroy the work.  Sadly, he is sometimes incredibly effective. Why?  Because we get distracted from the real issue and the real enemy and fight politically partisan fights rather than doing spiritual warfare.

There is opposition from the outside and that opposition is not defeated using natural means but through spiritual warfare.  I want to address the opposition from within but will wait until the next devotional.

Until then, may the Lord bless your richly as you enjoy this day and manifest Him to the world!