In World War II, the allied troops were advancing on Germany from the west. In December, 1944, Hitler ordered a counter offensive. The Germans attacked the American positions on the front. This became known as The Battle of the Bulge, because of the “bulge” it created in the line.
As part of the offensive, Hitler ordered the launching of Operation Griffin. Hitler had formed a special unit of German soldiers . They were fluent in American English and dressed in captured uniforms.
They went behind the lines to cause chaos among the Americans. If possible, they were to assassinate the allied commander, Gen. Dwight Eisnhower. The operation had limited success. It did result in Americans killing fellow soldiers and detaining others.
Imagine a disguised enemy soldier approaching a check-point. The sentry shouts out, “Halt! Who goes there: friend or foe?” How do you think he would answer?
The same is true of the Berzerker’s enemies. They come against you looking like a friend. They make all sorts of claims. They say they want to help you; that you’ll be better off if you listen to them; that they know better than anyone else. What they want is to confuse you. They want you to abandon your core values. Their goal is to destroy you and have you conform to their way of thinking, to their values.
As a Berzerker, you cannot simply accept the claims of someone. You need to weigh their words and actions against your core values. You need to put a halt to those trying to mislead you. This means knowing and standing firm in your convictions. Remember, their goal is to destroy your spirit. To conform to the enemy’s values is your defeat!
It’s important, then, that you recognize your enemy for what he is. Don’t listen to him! Instead commit yourself to the building and strengthening of your spirit.
And one last word. Your enemy is not a singular entity. Like warfare in this world, the enemy is an alliance of antagonists. You need to be able to identify and overcome three forces. First is the culture that bombards you with the values of the enemy. The second is the people who encourage you to follow that culture. The third is your own weakness. You are susceptible to the confusion and lies that lead you to stray from your core values. You must stand firm in your values.
- How can you tell the difference between a friend and a foe?
- How do you determine what is "good"?
- How do you think you can build and strengthen your spirit?
RECOGNIZE YOUR ENEMY
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
Psalm 119:9
Psalm 119 is the longest “chapter” of the Bible with 176 verses. Though there is no author mentioned, many scholars believe that it is a psalm written by King David. This certainly fits David, who when a young man, had to “keep his way pure.”
The prophet Samuel anointed David to be king after Saul. David had to wait, however, until Saul’s death to take the throne. During those years, Saul hunted for David, trying to kill him.
Once, David was hiding at the back of a cave. Saul entered the cave, unaware that David and some of his men were there. Some of the men with David urged him to kill Saul, but he refused. That wasn’t the way he was to become king!
On another occasion, David and his men were protecting an area from raiders. David asked a rich man, Nabal, to give some food to his men. When Nabal refused, David became so angry that he set out to kill Nabal and burn down his house. He would have done so, had not Nabal’s wife brought the food to David and begged him not to kill her husband.
David was “a man after God’s own heart” but he sometimes was tempted to wander from the path God had set for him. His real enemy was not Nabal. It was his own sinful nature! He needed to “guard … his pure way.”
In this life, you want to follow a “pure way.” It is the path that God has set for you, a path to your future, a path for your life right now. You will want to be certain to not give into the temptations that would lead you from the right path. To recognize and overcome these dangers, you will judge everything by God’s Word; and you will want to hear and obey that precious Word. That’s the only way to keep your way pure.
How can you use God’s Word to “guard” yourself?
- What should be a man’s goal?
- Why is God’s Word to be the “guard” for him to use?
- How can you use God’s Word to “guard” yourself?
