Know The Truth

Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies.

Psalm 44:5-7

How does God’s Word define our enemies? “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Our real enemies are not physical enemies but instead are spiritual forces operating from the unseen world.

Let’s look at the facts. First, we have an enemy in the spiritual realm. That enemy is real and is working to undermine anything that God desires. Second, that enemy is not all-powerful, and in comparison to our Savior, he is puny and weak. Third, that enemy has only one weapon to use against believers, and that weapon is lies: “When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

Now look at the promise in Psalm 44:7: “You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies.” We are not at our enemy’s mercy. Our enemy is spiritual, and the weapons with which we have been supplied are spiritual (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-4). They are not weapons of this world. They don’t break down or miss the intended target or become obsolete. We don’t have to depend on our own best efforts to counter the lies the enemy presents to us. We have the one weapon that causes the enemy’s lies to malfunction from the start: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). In this promise, Jesus is saying that we will know more than just the difference between true statements and false ones. He is saying that we know the one who is Truth embodied, and that Truth will set us free.

Jesus, let me be so mindful of your presence in me, and your word to me, that the enemy’s lies never find an exposed target in my life.

As in all warfare, the two essential elements in victory are knowing your enemy and knowing your resources.

Sinclair B. Ferguson(1948–), Scottish preacher and theologian