by 
We all go through difficult times as Christians. We are challenged . . . we are spiritually attacked . . . Enemy spies/plants interfere as much as possible against God and His plans for us, etc. God has been doing a work in me over the past several years to recognize that “pounces imposed by people” are actually Enemy attacks. Ultimately, people are not to blame. According to Ephesians 6, our battle is not against people (flesh and blood). I knew this scripture, but it didn’t hit home until the end of 2012.
When people “come at us,” our first instinct is that “they” are the problem. How mean they are. How they aren’t living for God, even if they profess to be a Christian. Nope. The Enemy is behind EVERY assault against EVERY Believer. It is the Enemy who convinces/uses others to attack us, stunt our spiritual growth, nullify our blessings, tear apart our families, damage friendships, etc. It is not the PEOPLE who are to blame. It “feels” like it’s the people, but it’s the Enemy. More proof that we cannot live by our “feelings,” because our feelings change from moment to moment. God’s Word is the ONLY constant in our lives – it NEVER changes.
Like many of us who have plenty of empathy for others, I have been used and hurt by people over and over. Satan uses our hurts to change our focus from JESUS to those people who have hurt us. The Enemy likes this spiritual warfare tactic, because we can fight with the PEOPLE until we are blue in the face. The end result is that THE ENEMY IS STILL WORKING. HE IS STILL ACTIVELY ATTACKING US! Why? Because we blame and fight people when it is the Enemy who is the perpetrator!!! So, the Enemy is sitting back in his fiery Lazy Boy watching us figuratively beat the snot out of people who only did what the Enemy manipulated them to do. We don’t even realize the Enemy has engaged us in Battle; and he’s engaged us when he knows we are directing our attack against others instead of him!!!
Ephesians 6:12 KJV “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
God’s Word gives us the answer: keep your eyes on Him and love and pray for that person who has hurt you . . . forgive and do good to those who you perceive as your earthly enemies. In so doing, we render the Enemy’s attempts useless! Redirect your focus from circumstances and/or your hurts to Jesus and on the eternal reward that is waiting for you.
REDIRECT YOUR FOCUS FROM YOUR HURTS TO JESUS AND ON LOVING THE PEOPLE and it will be worth it ALL one day! AMEN!!!