Ruling in the Midst of Your Enemies

Ruling in the Midst of Your Enemies

The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;

you will rule in the midst of your enemies. - Psalm 110:2 (NIV)

Just as Yeshua came to earth and lived in the midst of His enemies, so too are we given the directive to live and rule in the midst of our enemies. When we accept the atonement that Yeshua made for us at the cross, His righteousness becomes our righteousness, His freedom and liberty become ours, and His enemies become our enemies. Not once did Yeshua shrink back from the work the Father had for Him. He was surrounded by the kingdom of darkness. He came from Heaven, willingly setting aside His Godhood, to live in the muck and mire of His enemies. When we enter into God's kingdom, we are not automatically physically transferred out of the midst of this world, the kingdom of darkness. We still live in the midst of our enemies. But God has called us, as His children, to rule with the authority that Yeshua has given us even in the midst of our enemies. Yeshua legally secured the victory. We must enforce that victory and rule in the midst of our enemies as His representatives.

Many teach that Yeshua came to bring us peace. While it is true that He is the Prince of Peace and that He gave His peace to us as His disciples, Scripture does not indicate that our walk with the Lord will be filled with nothing but peace. In fact, Scripture seems to indicate otherwise. The Word of God is a book of warfare. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 12, we are told exactly who our enemies are and who our warfare is with - “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

The work that Yeshua did at the cross was far more extensive than any of us may ever realize. Not only did He take our sins on Himself in order to carry them away from us (as our scapegoat), he also became our atoning sacrifice. He stormed the gates of hell and secured the legal victory over the forces of evil. Now we, as Yeshua's co-heirs, must enforce the victory He secured. And the forces of evil aren't too thrilled when we start doing it.

What on earth does all this mean? Let's look at an example that might make this a little clearer. Suppose a law is passed that a person may not drive their vehicle faster than 65 miles per hour. Let us further suppose that although everyone is aware of that law, they continue to drive faster than 65 miles per hour because they know that law enforcement has never stopped anyone for speeding nor do they have any intention of doing so. Therefore, although there is a law on the books prohibiting speeding, everyone continues to break the law because it has never been enforced. Now, let's take a look at what this might look like in a spiritual sense.

An individual goes to church one Sunday morning and accepts the atoning sacrifice that Yeshua made for them. They know that if they died that very moment they would be spared eternal separation from God. But being the human that they are, any addictions or long-term struggles they may have probably won't go away the instant they accept the Lord. (I say probably because sometimes the Lord does indeed free people from addictions and besetting sin at the moment of their salvation.) So, let's imagine that, spiritually speaking, this person had spent their entire life in a prison cell. They were confined to their misery and accepted their lot because that's the way it had always been. But even after they come into God's kingdom through the Messiah, they still find themselves in their cell. The cell door is closed and it doesn't seem that their situation has really changed all that much. The enemy would have that person believe that things never will change. The last thing the enemy wants is for another child of God to experience and walk in the freedom that Yeshua purchased for them.

When Yeshua died on the cross, He wasn't sleeping for three days waiting for the Father to raise Him from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was busy. Really busy. He took a little trip to the enemy's territory and whupped him but good! He effected the legal victory over the forces of evil. As followers of the Messiah we have been given the directive to enforce the victory that Yeshua secured for us. Part of that enforcement is setting the captives free. That new believer sitting in his jail cell, if left to his own devices, may never realize just how drastically his situation has indeed changed. The door of his cell, though closed, is no longer locked. All he needs to do is get up, open the door and walk out into the freedom Yeshua has purchased for him. While that sounds easy, it can be quite a challenge. The forces of evil - the warden and guards - don't want to see the prison population decrease and they'll do just about anything to keep it from changing. It is up to us as believers in Messiah to educate new believers to the reality of their situation.

Even after a believer walks out of their prison cell, things can still be a bit rough. While we are spiritually reborn, and spiritually positioned in the heavenlies with our Messiah, we still live in this world and we still have to deal with our bodies of flesh, which tend to gravitate toward things which aren't terribly good for us. We also have to keep in mind that through Yeshua, “[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].” (Col. 2:15). But even with this being a done deal, to the extent that we, the disciples of Yeshua, do not enforce the victory of the cross, Satan will remain in power - just as the drivers in the previous example knowingly broke the law because it was not being enforced.

Let's take another look at the believer who still thinks they are locked in a prison cell. Because Yeshua's victory over the demonic forces that are exerting themselves in that person's life, if the authority that is now theirs is not being exercised over those forces they will still operate. But as God's truth is progressively revealed in that person's heart, and as that person steps out in faith to begin taking authority, the realms of darkness are shaken. How would this look on a practical level?

Every time a believer is faced with temptation - a decision to either follow God's way or to fall back to old behavior patterns - the battle is on. Each time that person makes the choice to follow God's way, they take the teeth out of the enemy's bite. Every time we decide to sit and read the Bible; every time we decide to turn off the TV, put on praise and worship music and meet with God; every time we say no to the enticements of this world in whatever guise they come, we strengthen our position with God and weaken the hold the devil has over us. While some decisions may seem trivial, you never know how great the impact will be in the spiritual realm by your choosing God's way and following that decision in obedience to His Word. The more often we choose God's way, the easier it becomes. With every right decision the door of that prison cell begins to open, letting light and hope into the life of another child of God, increasing their confidence in the One who died for them, and giving them the courage to swing the door open wide and walk into the freedom that is theirs for the taking.

Back to Current Issue

11/02


	Ruling in the Midst of Your Enemies The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. - Psalm 110:2 (NIV) Just as Yeshua came to earth and lived in the midst of His enemies, so too are we given the directive to live and rule in the midst of our enemies. When we accept the atonement that Yeshua made for us at the cross, His righteousness becomes our righteousness, His freedom and liberty become ours, and His enemies become our enemies. Not once did Yeshua shrink back from the work the Father had for Him. He was surrounded by the kingdom of darkness. He came from Heaven, willingly setting aside His Godhood, to live in the muck and mire of His enemies. When we enter into God's kingdom, we are not automatically physically transferred out of the midst of this world, the kingdom of darkness. We still live in the midst of our enemies. But God has called us, as His children, to rule with the authority that Yeshua has given us even in the midst of our enemies. Yeshua legally secured the victory. We must enforce that victory and rule in the midst of our enemies as His representatives. Many teach that Yeshua came to bring us peace. While it is true that He is the Prince of Peace and that He gave His peace to us as His disciples, Scripture does not indicate that our walk with the Lord will be filled with nothing but peace. In fact, Scripture seems to indicate otherwise. The Word of God is a book of warfare. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 12, we are told exactly who our enemies are and who our warfare is with - “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The work that Yeshua did at the cross was far more extensive than any of us may ever realize. Not only did He take our sins on Himself in order to carry them away from us (as our scapegoat), he also became our atoning sacrifice. He stormed the gates of hell and secured the legal victory over the forces of evil. Now we, as Yeshua's co-heirs, must enforce the victory He secured. And the forces of evil aren't too thrilled when we start doing it. What on earth does all this mean? Let's look at an example that might make this a little clearer. Suppose a law is passed that a person may not drive their vehicle faster than 65 miles per hour. Let us further suppose that although everyone is aware of that law, they continue to drive faster than 65 miles per hour because they know that law enforcement has never stopped anyone for speeding nor do they have any intention of doing so. Therefore, although there is a law on the books prohibiting speeding, everyone continues to break the law because it has never been enforced. Now, let's take a look at what this might look like in a spiritual sense. An individual goes to church one Sunday morning and accepts the atoning sacrifice that Yeshua made for them. They know that if they died that very moment they would be spared eternal separation from God. But being the human that they are, any addictions or long-term struggles they may have probably won't go away the instant they accept the Lord. (I say probably because sometimes the Lord does indeed free people from addictions and besetting sin at the moment of their salvation.) So, let's imagine that, spiritually speaking, this person had spent their entire life in a prison cell. They were confined to their misery and accepted their lot because that's the way it had always been. But even after they come into God's kingdom through the Messiah, they still find themselves in their cell. The cell door is closed and it doesn't seem that their situation has really changed all that much. The enemy would have that person believe that things never will change. The last thing the enemy wants is for another child of God to experience and walk in the freedom that Yeshua purchased for them. When Yeshua died on the cross, He wasn't sleeping for three days waiting for the Father to raise Him from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was busy. Really busy. He took a little trip to the enemy's territory and whupped him but good! He effected the legal victory over the forces of evil. As followers of the Messiah we have been given the directive to enforce the victory that Yeshua secured for us. Part of that enforcement is setting the captives free. That new believer sitting in his jail cell, if left to his own devices, may never realize just how drastically his situation has indeed changed. The door of his cell, though closed, is no longer locked. All he needs to do is get up, open the door and walk out into the freedom Yeshua has purchased for him. While that sounds easy, it can be quite a challenge. The forces of evil - the warden and guards - don't want to see the prison population decrease and they'll do just about anything to keep it from changing. It is up to us as believers in Messiah to educate new believers to the reality of their situation. Even after a believer walks out of their prison cell, things can still be a bit rough. While we are spiritually reborn, and spiritually positioned in the heavenlies with our Messiah, we still live in this world and we still have to deal with our bodies of flesh, which tend to gravitate toward things which aren't terribly good for us. We also have to keep in mind that through Yeshua, “[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].” (Col. 2:15). But even with this being a done deal, to the extent that we, the disciples of Yeshua, do not enforce the victory of the cross, Satan will remain in power - just as the drivers in the previous example knowingly broke the law because it was not being enforced. Let's take another look at the believer who still thinks they are locked in a prison cell. Because Yeshua's victory over the demonic forces that are exerting themselves in that person's life, if the authority that is now theirs is not being exercised over those forces they will still operate. But as God's truth is progressively revealed in that person's heart, and as that person steps out in faith to begin taking authority, the realms of darkness are shaken. How would this look on a practical level? Every time a believer is faced with temptation - a decision to either follow God's way or to fall back to old behavior patterns - the battle is on. Each time that person makes the choice to follow God's way, they take the teeth out of the enemy's bite. Every time we decide to sit and read the Bible; every time we decide to turn off the TV, put on praise and worship music and meet with God; every time we say no to the enticements of this world in whatever guise they come, we strengthen our position with God and weaken the hold the devil has over us. While some decisions may seem trivial, you never know how great the impact will be in the spiritual realm by your choosing God's way and following that decision in obedience to His Word. The more often we choose God's way, the easier it becomes. With every right decision the door of that prison cell begins to open, letting light and hope into the life of another child of God, increasing their confidence in the One who died for them, and giving them the courage to swing the door open wide and walk into the freedom that is theirs for the taking. Back to Current Issue 11/02