What are the three enemies that needs to be overcome in our world today?
There are three enemies that makes us disobey God and make following divine directions hard. These enemies are: Satan, Self and the Society
Satan – “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” – Genesis 3:1-4
Satan distorts the word of God, he deceives, he is subtil as the Scripture said it and he is a lier. The words in bold in the verse above shows the deception of the devil. The moment one starts listening to Satan and his suggestion, if not careful, such a one is deceived because the devil paint his words in such a way that it looks like the truth but nothing like the truth. Eve listened to the voice of Satan and even started up a conversation with him and at the long run, she was deceived
The number two enemy is Self – “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” – Genesis 3:5, 6
The self – “and ye shall be as gods” The thought of that fact that she can be like god knowing good and evil, convinced her to disobey God. This is the pride of life the Scripture talked about in 1 John 2:16
“all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life…”? – 1 John 2:16
Also, “when the woman saw that the tree was good for food” – lust of the eyes. Of course it’s not bad to see but God has given a commandment, “…of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest threreof thou shalt surely die” – Genesis 2:16, 17 and because the devil have succeeded in out-rightly countering God’s word when he told Eve “Ye shall not surely die:” whereas God said, “thou shalt surely die”, she was deceived and gave place to self.
The number three enemy is the Society. The general opinion of the society enslave some to continue to do the wrong things. What the society accept, they accept. What it allow, they allow. For instance, the society gives the impression that the youth (unmarried boys/girls, men/women) cannot have sexual purity before marriage and so they advise the use of protection. They say, “If you can’t abstain, use a protection” – you know what that mean. Also in the area of dressing, modesty and godliness, they clearly disregard the word of God concerning how we should adorn or comport ourselves. Dressing is not to cover our nakedness any more as it was designed for but to show it. This is what is acceptable and they also follow the opinion that their godliness is in their heart and by so doing they are hardened toward the word of God because of the opinions they have from the society. They think that the word of God is one opinion and theirs another not knowing that the word of God is not an opinion but a command that can’t and shouldn’t be overlooked. They have been deceived by the personality behind it all which is the devil – the prince of this world who controls all those that are under his hold.
To break out from these enemies and be free is to say no to Satan, Self and the Society, then receive Jesus into your life who will give you the victory over these three. You cannot say no and be alone without Christ, you have no power to actually say no to Satan, Self or Society except Christ comes into your life and be your Lord. He takes the seat and sit on the throne of your heart. With that, every other thing negative including the three enemies are dethroned and cast down. You receive your victory and continue receiving it every day as you abide in Christ and He in you. Those who listens to the society (world) will find it difficult to listen to God
“The opinion of the society will do you no good. If you must hear the word of God and have your ears open to him always then you must follow His advice only” – Thou shall not follow a multitude to do evil. – Exodus 23:2
Born in the Western part of Nigeria, is a teacher of God’s word and a promoter of purposeful living. She is on a mission to bring humanity closer to God through her inspired God-centered teachings, and help Christians live their lives in full for God’s glory