How to Face the Enemy

By Peggy Allen
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).

I love westerns. I especially like Clint Eastwood in the starring role. You might be asking why a born-again, Spirit-filled, peace-loving woman of God would appreciate a gun-slingin’, cigar smokin’, booze drinkin’ man of the world. Although I really don’t get a thrill out of seeing people get killed, in Clint Eastwood’s movies (at least the ones I remember) I know justice has been served, for he is all about taking out the bad guys.

It’s the way he does it that is so intriguing. He comes into town just looking for a place to get a meal (or a drink at the local saloon) and maybe a place to spend the night. No matter how much he tries to mind his own business, someone will feel the need to start a fight with him. There is something about him that attracts bad guys like pollen attracts bees. Invariably, he gets caught up in someone else’s problems and finds it necessary to defend the defenseless, which usually involves at least one shoot-out.

These characters played by Mr. Eastwood are always cool and unruffled. They are never in a hurry, but they always have a plan. Every movement is deliberate. They simply ooze with confidence—and who can resist confidence? He never feels the need to show off his skill at handling a gun. He doesn’t brag. In fact, he doesn’t even talk any more than is necessary. He keeps his ears and very squinty eyes open. His enemy finds it almost impossible to sneak up on him or outsmart him. These qualities have a knack for irritating men with evil intent, which always leads to trouble. But our guy knows how to handle trouble . . . and he’ll put an end to it!

How does all of this relate to spiritual warfare? If we would face God’s enemy, the devil, who is also our enemy and the enemy of our children, with this kind of confidence and boldness we would soon see the enemy put to flight! Like the movie character, we have no need to boast about our authority in Christ Jesus—we just need to demonstrate it! Yelling at or threatening our adversary won’t get the job done; using our gospel guns on him will! Our job as believers and intercessors is to be aware of what the devil is up to at all times, so we must keep our spiritual eyes and ears open. As the devil goes about “seeking whom he may devour” he will not catch us off guard. He will find us clothed with our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) and ready to defend our position and protect our children in the name of the Lord our God.

We have been given more than a role in a movie; we are representatives of the Most High God on this planet. We have been given His authority and have been called to do the same (or greater) works than our Captain, Jesus Christ. He said he came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8); therefore, we are called to do the same!