Step 3: Do not underestimate your enemy

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11.

We have a saying in the Army, "Do not fear the enemy. Know your enemy, give him tactical respect - retain the advantage." In many ways, this adage can be applied to our spiritual enemy.

We accept significant risk when we fail to grasp the enormity of the enemy's schemes if viewed solely through the scope of our life, i.e., What trap is the enemy setting for me today? His strategies extend far beyond.

Zooming out, let's examine the battle from a larger perspective. Our enemy has been trying to overtake The Creator God for thousands of years (Ezekiel 28 / Isaiah 14). Satan thought he had finally won when Christ was hanging on the cross (1 Corinthians 2:8). Imagine Satan's surprise, and following panic, when Christ defeated death, ascended back to heaven, and took the keys to Hell with Him (Ephesians 4:9 / Revelation 1:18)! What did Satan do then? Naturally, he and his armies would eventually regroup and formulate a new strategy.

It is clear Satan knows the Scriptures (Luke 4:9-11). After suffering yet another stunning defeat through the resurrection, I doubt Satan looks forward to the final battle spoken about in the Bible. Without doubt, Satan became familiar with Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Might a critical, if not the ultimate, strategy of Satan be stopping Christians from fulfilling the Great Commission? Perhaps Satan believes if he can stop the spread of the Gospel, he will delay the return of Christ, therefore prolonging his reign here on Earth.

What schemes would the enemy then develop to inhibit the Great Commission? Almost certainly, one scheme would be to degrade the beliefs of the Church. Why? Again, Scripture gives us the answer:

He [Jesus] could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. – Mark 6:5-6

And he [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. – Matthew 13:58

*Should the enemy successfully twist and limit the beliefs of the Church, the Church's effectiveness here on earth would soon be limited.*

Planning for the long game, our enemy began planting seeds of false doctrine into the New Testament Church since its birth in the first century. Over the centuries, many of those seeds have grown into deeply-rooted church traditions and are now accepted as correct interpretations of Scripture. Today, evidence of these false traditions is seen through the vast differences across Christian Church denominations. Are all church traditions wrong? Certainly not. However, recognizing this enduring strategy from the enemy, we must examine our understandings of Scripture and evaluate which traditions and beliefs align with actual Scripture and which have been twisted over the years.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. – Sun Tzu