Your Greatest Enemies

Ezekiel 28:17
“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”

Lucifer was a created being of God. Lucifer, of his own power, was nothing. He didn’t give himself the beauty that he had. He didn’t place himself into the garden of God. It was not of his own doing that his voice was so beautiful. Everything that Lucifer had in life was because of God, and yet, he was filled with pride because of what God made him and gave him. Lucifer was his own greatest enemy. He allowed the success that God gave him to fill him with pride. He allowed the beauty of how God created him to be his downfall. Had Lucifer kept a proper perspective of himself, he would have never become the enemy of God.

Many believers have made the same mistake that Lucifer made by allowing pride to destroy them. Most of the time, the Devil is not the one who destroys us, be we are the ones who destroy ourselves. When I examine what destroyed Lucifer, I see the greatest enemies that you must beware of as a believer.

First, you must beware of success. A little success doesn’t make you someone special. Most likely, you had nothing to do with your success. Think about it; you have done the same things that others have done, and yet you had success when they didn’t. Why did you see success? You experienced success because of God. You must be very careful that you don’t let success fill you with pride. Many churches, preachers, and individuals have been destroyed because they experienced success, and the success became a source of pride, which God hates.

Second, you must beware of blessings. Lucifer was blessed by being God’s created being. Blessings in life have not come because of your power, but because of God’s power. Never let God’s blessings on your life cause you to be lifted up with pride to think that you are someone special. Everything you have is of God, and if you don’t keep that in mind, the very blessings that God gave you because of His mercy will become the very source of your destruction because of pride.

Third, you must beware of YOU. You are often your worst enemy. You are the one who controls your thinking. You are the one who makes your own decisions. My friend, you had better be careful that you don’t destroy yourself by thinking that you are someone special because of God’s blessings. At the best, you are still a sinner whom God has blessed. Without God, you are nothing. Never forget that!

So, what must we do to keep these enemies from filling us with pride to our destruction? You must always keep your perspective right about why these things have happened to you. If you obtained position because of success, realize it was God who blessed you with that position and keep doing what brought those blessings on you. If God has blessed you with manifold blessings, don’t get focused on the blessings and forget about the God who gave you those blessings.

My friend, when success and blessings come your way, don’t stop doing what brought success and blessings. When you stop to see what you have is when you get your eyes off God and are filled with pride because of what God has done for you. Keep your eyes on God and serving Him, and you will avoid the destruction these enemies cause.

Author: Allen Domelle