The Foe Doesn't Want You To Spiritually Grow

He will nit-pick, talk about who you know, where you are going, and whether you are in fact a child of God based on his personal observations.  Your foe doesn't want you drawing near to God.  If he knows anything about the Father, he knows that as you learn more about the Great Messiah you will start to see his flaws.  So the enemy uses him as a distraction.  He too doesn't want you to growing in your faith because Satan's agenda always is and always will be to kill, steal, and destroy.

Look around you, an enemy of the Christian comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, ages, ethnicity, genders, social classes, educational and spiritual backgrounds.  When one has been walking with believers and unbelievers for quite some time, you will begin to recognize who is a foe and who is harmless.

For years, I saw the systematic destruction placed on some believers by those who were jealous, bitter, vengeful, had personality disorders and more.  Unfortunately, the behaviors were not addressed and stopped.  The believers made excuses, dismissed what they saw, wanted to believe lies rather than truths, and were quite defensive when fellow brothers and sisters tried to make them see the truth.  So the rebellious suffer the consequences.  The enemy wins with many backsliders because they permit him to hinder progress.  They allow him to come in and confuse, distract, and tempt them into doing wrong.

We grieve the Holy Spirit when we choose to ignore the truth.  As children of light, we expose and so too are we exposed.  If we are doing the kind of things that affect spiritual growth the is a price we pay as a result--a heavy one that might cause many to turn away from God.  Be mindful of the company you keep from a backsliding partner to a generous, but conniving friend--watch as well as pray!

Nicholl McGuire is the author of Know Your Enemy: The Christian's Critic and other enlightening books.