“And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.” Matt 13:27-28 ESV
I really cannot recount how many times I have read the book of Matthew in my years of journeying through the Bible, but recently, my heart was specially drawn to this statement made by the Man (the field owner) in this parable… “An enemy has done this!”
I discovered there is a need to understand the enemy and his tactics and then, we will be able to resist him and interrupt his moves and operations more and more. The way the whole event played out showed to the owner of the field that it was the enemy’s operation whereas his servants knew nothing at all; they were completely ignorant of how the enemy operates. To them, it looked like a natural phenomenon which just happened, though it was questionable but to the sensitive field owner, he knew better!
A believer must not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy, else he/she is overtaken!
“… lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor 2:11 (NKJV)
When you understand the enemy and how he operates, you strategize to resist him; you put things in place to frustrate his plans; infact, you take the battle to his gates. This is a whole lot of work and certainly not for believers who choose to be complacent.
Studying the operations of the enemy in this passage, I could see he ‘knew his onions very well’. He was very tactical and calculative; all these he achieved by being very watchful, always waiting for an opportune time.
The same principles he applies against believers today:
He watches for your unguarded moments;
He keeps vigil/ lays a siege;
He is tactical;
He intends to destroy;
He seeks to make you less than God designed you to be;
His ultimate purpose is to steal, kill and destroy completely.
With these stated, I see the need to also be tactical in our approach against the enemy. We cannot afford to be slack and watch things happen; we rather need to make things happen by the help of God. We need to be in constant tune with God; developing a deep intimate relationship with Him so we can sharpen our sensitivity. God is our refuge and help; a very present help in trouble. We should live in the consciousness of the presence of God and in His readiness to help and defend us because He is our help and shield; however, we should not live ignorant of the wiles/tactics of the enemy and his operations and the need for us to be watchful and guard our territories.
If the enemy knows and employs his strategies well, as believers, we must develop, know and employ our own strategies better. That is where the work comes in. Living a victorious Christian life is certainly not a child’s play. It is not for the “sleepers”; but for those who will “awake” to what it takes. If the enemy is able to freely carry out his enterprise when we are “asleep’’ then we need to stay awake to resist him. We need to be at alert to disallow him; we need to be active in our duty post/ on our watch in order to mount guard against the invasion of the enemy.
The purpose of the enemy in this parable, was to frustrate the planting of the owner of the field. The weed sown among the wheat were certainly going to frustrate the growth of the wheat; they were going to compete for space and nutrients; they were, on the long run, going to affect the yield of the desired crops. Anything that the enemy introduces into your life or situation or constituency is definitely to affect you adversely; making you less efficient, less effective, less productive and fruitful than God designed you to be.
The Lord of the vineyard told his servants that the planting of the enemy shall surely be rooted out during the harvest; hence the need to find out when it is time for harvest. The time of harvest is when the corrupting works of the enemy are brought to an end and uprooted; when a termination is brought to the operations and activities of the works of the enemy. The harvest is when you choose to stop the enemy and permit me to say “The harvest is now: when I believe and act on the promises of God against every Satanic manipulation!”
When is your own harvest? When do you choose to bring an end to anything unpleasant that the enemy has planted or is establishing in your territory; when do you choose to weed off the tares because they certainly are not meant to be part of you, going forward? Don’t choose to feel comfortable with the weeds growing together with the wheat (good crops) of your life; lest they choke you up or make you less productive.
1 John 3:8
“…For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
May the judgement of God come upon every works of the enemy in my (& your) life; May every weed that the enemy has planted in your (&my) life, constituency and every sphere of operations be uprooted and destroyed; May you (& I) have room and space to flourish and thrive in the purpose of God. May we receive grace to be at alert against all Satanic operations and manipulations. Amen!
© Funmi Adebayo