Lessons Our Enemies Taught Us

Justin’s Opinion:

Relationships expose you.  Period.  A real relationship exposes your strengths and weaknesses.  This is major reason I know I am with the right God ordained beautifully made woman gifted to me by God.  I was trying to think of a bible story that I could interpret in a deep fashion to start this off.  But I could not think of one.  All I could think of is how grateful I am for enemies.  Nothing fancy, nothing crazy… I LOVE my enemies.  My mind has shifted, especially in the last few months.  I have learned the necessity and presence of people who are enemies that you have to love.  It is not a quality I have enjoyed, but it is a quality that I have learned and embraced.  Frankly, not embracing those assigned to distract you gives them power over you.  So, my enemies have taught me a few lessons. 

1.    How to Fight

Fighting in the spirit is one of the hardest battles fought without armour.  So often we miss that lesson when Paul speaks of putting on the Armour of God.  Paul details how our head is covered, how the belt holds things together, how our feet cannot slip etc.  (Look at it!) It was not in the times that I had a bunch of ‘friends” or even “Classmates” that I learned how to fight, it is when I got in a relationship and the ugliness (and eventual beauty) of enemies was revealed. They taught me that I was not guarding my heart, that I was not wearing my salvation and was not wearing my belt.  Enemies taught me not just to see my strength, but how to fight battles in ways that confuses the enemy and how to keep your peace because in the end enemies kill themselves.

2.    How to Work

Jesus told his disciples that you will know who he is by the work he did.  He admonished those in positions of power not to let your power determine who you are, but the work you do.  Enemies have challenged me to work.  Work my relationship.  Work my positions.  Work for my “self.”  Work for Courtney.  Work for Family.  Work for what makes me happy.  They taught me how to work.  Enemies do a great deed because they show you how much you love something and how much you are willing to sacrifice to keep it. 

3.    How to Love. 

It amazes me.  When I was “in these streets” walking around with 2-3 women…texting them…leading them on…knowingly (in some cases intentionally) breaking hearts that I never was made fun of for that.  But as soon as I get into a relationship, speak about the power of prayer and talk about the revelation of God to me to pursue Courtney…and then a Black man who is intentional about courting a Black woman…I’ve had more people ask: When we are breaking up, why am in a relationship, how long we have been together because they feel the need to justify what God has shared with me.  SERIOUSLY? Thank you to each and every one of you! Not in spite, but because it affirms the fact that I am truly in love with the one that God has assigned to me.  Its not your fault…its mine.  I’m doing the right God ordained thing with the Gift from God.  Enemies have strengthened my courting, intentionality and love for Courtney Jones.  Yea…that’s the future mother of my children.  I Ain’t Scared of NONE of Yall!.

Courtney’s Opinion:

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of enemies? I know as for me I see myself subconsciously looking over my shoulder in a disgusted look somewhat like this:

As funny as that may be, I realize I should grab a mirror and give the same look to myself. Enemies can be defined as anyone or anything that comes to steal, kill, and destroy your promise. That can be the promise of fulfilling your purpose, your dreams, hopes and desires. Throughout my life I realized that I sometime, I was my own enemy.

Of course there are many times where it seems we have armies of “haters” (lets kill this word in 2014, okay…please?) encamping our lives. On every end they are attacking your life, relationships, and questioning your promise; but praise God, because they see a promise. When Justin and I first created this blog we had many people upset and questioning our longevity and potentiality as a couple. They justified it by stating that they didn’t want either one of us to get hurt as a result of the shortness of our courtship being only a couple months long. However we knew the promise on our lives and Justin is indeed my promised promise. However, through the beginning stages I found myself altering and restraining my behavior, constantly filtering the things we released as a mean to appease those that were against it. In those moments, I was my own worse enemy. I silenced the voice that God entrusted me with, I filtered our discipleship, with the understanding that our relationship is our worship and our means of sharing Christ to others.

Although I couldn’t stop those around me from sharing their opinion in my life, I had the choice of what to do with it. John 10:10 explains to us that the Devil is our biggest enemy, who only comes to steal kill and destroy. He tactics don’t change just how you respond to them does. In Genesis 3:1-7, we read the infamous story of the fall of man. To set the scene, God created this beautiful world and also created the Garden of Eden as a an abundant land of life for Adam and Eve in this land he gave them reigns to partake in any tree in the Land just not the Tree of Knowledge. In this the particular text we zoom into Satan manipulating (I mean talking) to Eve. As stated previously, Satan, our biggest enemy, never changes its tactic but only its approach. Here are some enemy signs to look out for:

o   Cunning – vs. 1

o   Tempting – vs. 1  (you are only tempted by what you want)

o   Openly Goes against the word of God – Eve knew the word of God, the devil openly went against it

o   Diminishes God in our Life – all throughout chapter 2 “l=Lord God” in Chapter 3 it was “did God”

o   Play on your weaknesses – Adam had strength in chapter 2, gone in chapter three

o   Partial Truth teller – You will not die rather you will have eyes open vs. 5

§  Objective truth.  Truth that you don’t understand.  The devil knows what you cannot understand! 

o   Reveals when we don’t listen – Adam ate too and he knew! Vs 6

Satan is very real and creates a lot of havoc in our lives but only because we allow him to. There might be people in our lives that fit some of these characteristics above. Get on your face before God for those people but also cover yourself so that you can be reassured of the promise God has placed in your life. What God brings together nothing or no one will be able to separate. Love yourself!

Our Opinion

Enemies are necessary.  Enemies teach you some of your most powerful lessons.  Whether those enemies are internal or external, bottom line in they exist.  Since we have been together, both of us in our places of work, church and personal relationships have seen the revelation of enemies that we accidentally called friends and coworkers.  It is all Good because we love and NEED you to be the enemy God assigned you to be!

This week, we challenge you to embrace your enemies, love your enemies and enjoy that God assigned people to hate you…you’re doing something right.  We Love you, we are praying for you…Most of all God is with you!