Matthew 12:22-37

“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:29, NKJV)

As I have served in the ministry for 46 years, I think one of the hardest things for me to keep in mind is that the devil is the enemy—not people. Sometimes we question that, don’t we? We see people who oppose, hurt, or slander us and the ones we love, and we consider them to be the enemy. We label them as “toxic” and distance ourselves from them. They certainly can be influenced by the enemy, and may be used by the enemy, but we must remember that they are not the enemy. There is a greater power behind them, whispering, influencing, manipulating, and accusing. He is the ruler of this world, and he has taken many people captive to do his will. He binds them tightly in chains of sin and dungeons of darkness. He blinds their minds so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.

But we know One who is stronger. He enters the devil’s house and binds and restrains him from executing his wicked deeds. He opens the eyes of the blind, so that they can see the truth. He breaks their chains of sin and grants them hearts of repentance. He leads them out of dungeons of darkness and sets them free. He helps them to walk in the light, as He is in the light. And when this happens, the person is no longer a foe but a friend and a brother or sister in God’s family.

Therefore, when we encounter difficult people who vex and frustrate us, we must remember that our enemy is Satan. We must pray that Christ will bind the strong man and release his prisoners. We must pray that He opens their eyes to the truth and grants them repentance and faith in Jesus. And we must pray that our foes would become friends as God changes their hearts.

Lord, make it so!