Whenever the word enemy is mentioned, we usually think and perceive something or someone negative. It’s true that an enemy is an undesirable person. An enemy is an opposition to one’s growth, betterment, success, and what have you.
An enemy is even a killer. But believe it or not, enemies do play essential roles in our lives. Everyone in our lives has a particular role to play. Good people have roles to play in our lives, and so do the not-so-good ones.
Our enemies are also important to us in some ways. Enemies give us reasons to be mindful of our surroundings, the steps we take, and the things we do and say. The fact that we have enemies in our lives gives us reasons to do all we can to succeed so as to shame the very ones who want to see us fall and fail.
God sometimes uses our enemies to bless us. God sometimes sends our blessings to us through our enemies. The blessings that God sends to us through our enemies are usually in disguise; they are usually in the form of problems.
That is why our enemies hand deliver some of our blessings to us, thinking they are giving us problems. Because if our enemies know what they are giving us are blessings, they will never give them to us.
For example, God may allow someone who has asked Him for wisdom to be attacked by enemies so that that individual can obtain wisdom by dealing with the attacks; so that the individual can learn from the lessons taught by the enemies’ attacks and derive the wisdom he/she needs to handle and overcome challenging times.
Sometimes our enemies, while thinking they are troubling us, open our eyes to certain realities that are essential to our safety and advancement.
Biblical Examples of the Importance of Enemies
If you need true-to-life stories of those who have risen above their adversaries with the help of their enemies, the bible is the first place to consult. Here are some of the most familiar biblical characters and their enemies who planned to ruin their lives but instead helped them be better.
- Saul thought he was winning David by trying to take his life. But in actuality, he was making David understand the value of patience, forgiveness, and respect for authority. He was indirectly training David to be able to handle opposition and stay calm in the midst of deception and conspiracy-a skill David mastered and applied throughout his reign as king.
- Haman was convinced that he had already succeeded with his plan to send Mordecai to his grave. But he didn’t know he was setting the platform for Mordecai to be loved, favored, and honored by the king. And in the end, Haman was killed in the place of Mordecai.
- The brothers of Joseph thought they were leaving him in the pit to die of starvation and thirst, not knowing they were setting him up for his glory. Even after he was taken out of the pit and sold as a slave, it seemed like Joseph was already doomed but he eventually landed in the house of Potiphar, where he learned the skill of management and leadership and where he also grew in honesty and truth.
Also, it was in Potiphar’s house that his faith was tested and proven. Potiphar’s wife thought she was saving her face by lying to an innocent Hebrew slave and sending him to prison, not knowing she was sending him to the very place where he was going to meet the one who would recommend him to the king for his glory to manifest. And finally, Joseph rose to the rank of second-in-command in a strange land, over a people of a strange language. Even Potiphar and his wife were now answering to the orders of Joseph.
- The governors and officials of Babylon plotted against Daniel and made the king cast him into the lions’ den, but by grace from above, Daniel came out of the den of the loins unscratched. And the king’s love and trust in Daniel grew stronger than before he was cast into the lions’ den.
An enemy may try to hurt you by seeking to derail your image to other people but by doing so they may be announcing you to the right people-even to your helpers because the right people always seek to find out the truth.
The Right Response to the Schemes of the Enemy
The right people just don’t jump to conclusions based on what people say about other people. And the right people will stay in your life and love you no matter what your haters say about you.
An enemy may try to attack you publicly, embarrass you or tempt you to the point that your reaction will cause people to become disappointed in you and lose respect for you. But reacting in a positive way that defeats that enemy and also wins or confirms the respect and admiration of the people around, is a great way of proving that enemies do have important roles to play in our lives.
Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. Why waste time on people who deserve only your silence? It’s important for us to keep in mind that revenge is not the best option.
Judas became faithless and hateful. So he decided to betray the Lord Jesus by selling Him for a few pieces of silver. He thought he was accomplishing a task that was going to extinct the existence of Jesus. Even though without Judas’ betrayal Jesus was still going to be crucified because that was the reason for His earthly existence, Judas was in no way right for betraying the Lord.
He turned himself into an enemy of the Lord, not knowing he was indirectly partaking in the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission on earth. Jesus had to die in order to save the world. He had to die for Him to go to the lowest hell and destroy the works of the devil, and then resurrected to bring us victory. Yes, He did! So what Judas meant for evil was turned into Jesus’ victory.
Sometimes while our enemies are badmouthing us, backbiting us, and bringing us to scorn and ridicule by the words they speak concerning us to other people, they might just be drawing the attention of the right people for us to us. Having critics is a good opportunity to have checks and balances in our lives.
The Beauty of Life’s Bitter Reality
Knowing that we have critics – people who always seek to expose our weaknesses and mistakes – gives us the opportunity to strengthen ourselves and correct our mistakes before they are exposed. Sometimes the bitter and painful treatments we receive from those who are against us are good opportunities for us to learn and make the needed adjustments and take the necessary preventions that will lead us to happier times in life.
There is always a lesson to learn from every experience in life. Having enemies gives us reasons to become the best versions of ourselves. It also gives us reasons to give our best to whatever we are doing for living a successful life because we know that there are people who are on the lookout for our failure.
And because we don’t want to fail so that they do not rejoice and triumph over us, we will be mindful of the way we go about our lives and serious about the efforts we put into whatever we are doing for living a successful life. Once we master the act of converting the negative energies of our enemies into positive ones, we will marvel at how many edges we can have over them.
If you don’t want to have enemies, you don’t want to be gossiped about, you don’t want to be envied, you don’t want to be hated, then you shouldn’t do something meaningful with your life. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t even exist, because as long as you exist and do something meaningful with your life, you will have enemies.
- Are you going to allow the fear of having enemies to prevent you from taking further steps in life?
- Are you going to allow the fear of having enemies to cause you to limit your goals and aspirations in life?
- Are you going to allow the fear of having enemies to cause you to become hateful to everyone around you?
- Are you going to allow the fear of having enemies to make you miss out on exploring new opportunities because you think if you fail you will be condemned and laughed at?
- Are you going to allow the fear of having enemies to instill fear in you that you refuse to reach out and enjoy the good things that life has to offer?
- Are you going to allow the fear of having enemies to give you low self-esteem?
- Are you going to allow the fear of having enemies to paralyze your zeal to take bold steps in life?
Knowing that our enemies have important roles to play in our lives does not mean we should take them for granted. It does not mean we should underestimate their capabilities to do us harm. What it means is that as much as we are aware of their presence in our lives, we are not also going to allow them to take away our peace.
Our enemies come to desecrate and destroy our lives, but if we remain true to ourselves and remain on the positive side of life, envying and harming no one, we can be assured that what our enemies mean for evil will always be turned into our good.
Always remember, Truth is the greatest religion!