We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Us

12/11/24

Last week we talked about who our true enemy is during a prayer assignment and that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. However, we are warned in James 4:1 that people influenced by evil hearts can become the enemy in a prayer job.

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? James 4:1

No doubt, “the Devil might indeed be at work, but other people may indeed be stirring up trouble. But before we look in those directions James tells us we should give our own hearts a thorough examination.  But what is it, specifically, in our own heart that causes these wars and fights?  The desire to be recognized, needed, to be right, position or revenge.” James 4:1 – “We Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Us”

If we share an intercession job with others, the Lord may reveal those who may have motives that have crept in and are to be dealt with.  Such was the case during the intercession job at my church with one prayer partner.  God revealed the problem via a dream.

It was a disturbing bloody dream:  I was in a dark bedroom watching an evil man preparing to have sex (making the bed) with a prayer sister.  The prayer sister was getting ready to go to bed with this man (she was a married lady).  I knew they got into bed together and I looked the other way with a grimace on my face.  Suddenly I was splattered with blood, not once, but twice.  I shrieked.  I awoke to hearing the Lord say, “Sleeping with the enemy.”

The enemy had been successful at influencing this woman of prayer.  The symbolism of blood (life of the flesh): covenant; murder; defiled; unclean; witness; guilt.  The number two (twice splattered) conveys the meaning of a union, or the verification of facts by witnesses. Somehow the enemy (the evil man) had defiled this woman.  This was a warning dream from the Lord of what was to come.

The phrase “sleeping with the enemy” is often used to describe a situation involving a non-adversarial relationship between two individuals or entities that would normally be unfriendly or adversarial.  In other words, we have met the enemy, and he is within our midst.

The big reveal came at a social gathering of prayer people.  As we talked about the church (of which we all attended), the prayer sister in my dream started belittling me.  I later asked the Lord what His thoughts were on what transpired; I received a scripture address.  Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Even as people of prayer, we can be deceived by the enemy.  As women we are particularly susceptible to deception; remember Eve in the Garden of Eden?  Being the emotional sex and being prophetic (to any degree) can be a strong target for the enemy.  Wouldn’t the enemy love to put division between people of prayer?  Wouldn’t he love to cause the disruption of God’s work?

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust... Matthew 5:43-48.