KNOW YOUR ENEMY - 2

KNOW YOUR ENEMY - 2

“Your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

When one of my friend was to be sent out for some grave reason, his friend asked me what was the problem? When I asked why that person did not know about it being a good and close friend of him. That person replied that after seeing some of his habits lost respect and distanced from him and did not have any communication. With this event the next day as I was praying after communion, God gave me this reflection which I am sharing with you.

2. ACCUSING

This is one of another tactics or tricks which the devil uses against us to separate us from God. The name Satan (in Hebrew) means ‘Oppose’ and his mail work is to ‘separate’, to separate and kill. In our human relationship we start to relate with others for different reasons, but one among them is that we find them good to relate with, to make friendship with so we become close to that person. As no one is perfect, that includes us, in the course of time, when we happen to see, or come to know about one or some of their weaknesses most of the time, almost all the time, we tend to keep distance or discontinue our relationship or friendship with them. When we are asked we give all the bad reasons about that person. We accuse them of their weakness or bad habit.

We should always remember that accusation is attached with justification.  Yea, we might have heard the saying that ‘when we point one finger to others, the rest point at us’. When we accuse others we forget that we too have some or more weaknesses, bad habits. The only good thing is the other person did not have enough chance to find us out, or that person may know it but decent or matured enough to tolerate (be patience) with us, or else does not want to look at our negative side.

Here we need to remember that this trait of accusation is not of ours. It is the work of the devil. In the book of Zachariah Chapter we read that Satan is standing at the right of the high priest Joshua, ready to accuse him. In the book of Revelation we read, “For our brothers' accuser has been cast out, who accused them night and day, before God.” (12:10) Night and day, means to say, always his work is to accuse, to judge others. St. James would say in his letter chapter 4 that when you speak against or condemn someone, you condemn the law, only one lawgiver, who are we to condemn our neighbor?

Let us not get trapped by this trick of Satan. Whether accusing yourself of your own mistakes, false, or bad habits or weakness, or of others. Whatever or whichever makes you to commit sin, or wrong, you are made flawless by the blood of the Cross, the Cross has made you flawless. God is not happy to see you of feeling guilt or accusing yourself or others. For we are all created in the likeness of God. When we relapse in our prayer life, distance away from God because of our guilty conscience then the devil uses that chance and works on our weakness projecting it as a problem. Thank God for our weaknesses and for the weaknesses of others for in our weakness his strength will be manifested (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Let us not distance ourselves from our friends or with those whom we associate with. Let us not abandon them, let us not give up or get frustrated with their continuous failure. We are fortunate that God has given strength to avoid bad habits but they still struggle with it. It is these difficult moments they need us more. What kind of love is that only when they are good we associate with them and when they are bad we dissociate with them? Jesus came for the lost, the sinners, the accursed not for the righteous. Let us love others in their bad and difficult moments and help each other to reach the holiness for which we are all called.

You know my name not my story,

You heard what others said about me

But haven’t heard what I had to say

Don’t judge me until you’ve

Walked my journey.

Don’t accuse me or judge me of what you see now,

For you don’t know what I was,

Or what I will be.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37).

“Love keeps no record of wrong” (1 Corinthians 13:5).

KNOW YOUR ENEMY - 1

“Your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
These are some of my moments experiences after I am being trapped in that, God showered his grace to realize the truth. I am just sharing this with you. If you have similar experience you can share too. May God help of us. And Mother Mary, the Morning Star guide us.

“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, The Art of War)

1. IMPATIENCE

Once of the tactics that devil uses on us is to become impatience.

Well, you may ask how? For anyone it is natural to become impatience when things go wrong, meet with continuous failure, or meet with urgent need, when we could not bear with the shortcomings of others. Is there anything wrong in that? Is it not natural?

It may seem to be ok, but actually it’s not ok. Impatience first cripples the capacity to understand, to understand in the right way. Lack of understanding bars the grace of discernment and hastens the need of a quicker decision making or conclusion which most of the time or all the time ends up in miserable.

When the calculations and conclusions go wrong we get frustrated, discouraged and fret, foam with dissent and anger which blinds the eyes of faith and hope. And there starts all the crazy thinking and spilling of hurtful words and acts which makes division and hatred.

Patience means love. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love only one. Like a jack fruit. Or an orange. All others or its peels. To be patient means to work with love. To be patient with a bedridden person needs more love. The very apt example is Mother Teresa. Patience is a virtue, also a gift and also a part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. One can be patient only when he has the love. Love includes patience, understanding, hope and perseverance, never give up. And tolerance. Tolerance may be under patience. Does every situation of patience need to be love? Yes, waiting for a bus which comes late so that I am late to office, also to be handled with love, love for God and understanding which results from love. God waits for us patiently, because He loves us.

God is patient in creating us. Patience means waiting with hope, endless hope. And patient waiting with hope and faith always rewarded. Our enemy does not like it. Because he was kept blinded of the plan of Salvation, he became impatience and took a quick and hasty decision, came to a fast conclusion that if he kills Jesus by a humiliating death, he thought, everything will finish, but met with disaster. So, he uses the same tactic on us.

We find an example in the Bible, he was the first king, and the prophet asked him to wait for seven days until he comes. But he could not wait, became restless, made a wrong decision of offering sacrifice by himself to God to receive the blessing, instead he received curse. He disobeyed in his impatience and lost the grace and favor of God and the kingdom was removed from him. The mas was King Saul. (1 Samuel 10:8, 13:1ff)

Let’s practice patience. On ourselves first in our weaknesses, inabilities, delayed results, in our needs and necessities. Then on to others and to God. God knows what is good, when is good and how is good. For patience means love and trust.

"Keep calm before the Lord, wait for him in patience; do not fret if others succeed when they carry out evil schemes." (Psalms 37:7)

"from patience comes merit, merit is the source of hope," (Romans 5:4)

Patience is a virtue. Patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Be on your guard! Be Patient!
God knows you and watches over you!
And so too our enemy.
The Choice is ours.
Hide from devil and live in the presence of God or do the opposite.
Always fighting is not a wise decision!