A STUBBORN ENEMY

The devil is stubborn and unrepentant enemy. An understanding of this fact will guide you as you fight the battles of life. We often expect the devil to give up after we have put up a little resistance. But we are wrong. The devil is a dogged fighter. The text of today’s devotional study reveals the devil as a stubborn enemy who would never give up easily.
The king of Syria could not arrest the king of Israel or Elisha so he decided to surround the city of Syria, besieged Samaria and things became so terrible that the people ate the dung of birds. When there was no more dung to eat, they began to eat themselves. Two women, each with a son, decided to kill their children and eat them, one after another. After one of the sons was killed the mother of the other child refused to let go her child. This situation was reported to the king and the woman whose child had been killed cried for help. The king replied by saying if God did not help her, how could he? He then tore his dress.

The first lesson to learn from this story is that the devil is a stubborn enemy. Those who represent him by the picture of a goat make some sense. Those of us who come from villages know what kind of animal a goat is. The goat is a stubborn animal. Satan does not accept defeat easily so after you have won a victory, you must get ready for another fight. Ephesians 6:13 tell us to put on the whole Armour of God against the devil and stand. This is because one of the times that the devil likes to attack is when you have just won a victory.


The Bible tells us in I Peter 5:8-9, that we should be sober and vigilant because, like a roaring lion, the devil is walking about looking for whom to devour. We are also told to resist the devil steadfastly. We are soldiers of the cross. Victory belongs to us. After every victory, however, we must stand. This is the only way to retain our victory; the Bible clearly teaches that we should not rest on our oars. Ephesians 6:13-14. “Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness”.

 I Peter 5:8 - “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”