Unseen Enemy

I am tired. Of sneezing that is. I have been having allergy reaction after allergy reaction since we moved into our new home. As I am allergic to dust, pollen, grass, pine, etc, it can be hard to narrow down what the culprit could be, but more than likely it's cat dander. These reactions have all the usual cat-dander symptoms. The former resident had a cat, and once those microscopic skin cells hit the air, it's hard to rid a location of them. Rip out the carpet, paint the walls, wipe down all surfaces, vacuum under appliances, change filters and clean out air ducts ... these are all recommended. And it still could take six months to get it all out. I'm in for a long road. Some days are worse then others. And you know it's bad when I will go outside to cut the grass in a effort to get out of the cat-dander house.

It's an unfair battle. I can't see the enemy. I can only feel the consequences. It's a daily struggle. It's exhausts me. As a very last resort, I'll take some kind of allergy medication, which typically knocks me out for the rest of the day. No matter what I seem to do, I can't get the upper hand. I shout "Unfair!" into the air and plow through boxes of tissues.

I have friends and family who are dealing with far worse unseen enemies in the form of diseases like cancer. And I am sure they have shouted, "Unfair!" many times.

But even that is not the most evil unseen enemy. There is one far worse. One that prowls the earth like a roaring lion waiting to devour us, the disciple Peter tells us in his first letter, chapter 5, verse 8. He calls the enemy, "Your adversary, the devil." He is one that hopes to derail our faith and make us want to give up. And this enemy actually uses some of the previously mentioned unseen enemies to aid in his derailing. What is Peter's advice to combat this enemy? "Stay alert, be sober, stay viligant, watch out." He also says, "resist him and be steadfast in your faith" in the next verse. So more preventative than combative, just like all the preventative things recommended to remove the cat-dander from this house.

Does this mean you'll avoid all entanglements with the adversary? Probably not, but it will certainly help reduce the confrontations. Other great preventative measures? Prayer, reading Scripture, and submitting ourselves to God. And if Christ's example in Matthew 4:10 is one to follow, then saying, "Be gone, Satan," doesn't hurt either.

Day after day of struggling against an unseen enemy can make a person want to give up, but those who are successful aren't quitters. Plus we have an Advocate who can fight for us who is far more powerful, and it's to Him I turn daily. Prior to 1 Peter 5:8, the disciple tells us,"cast your burdens on Jesus because He cares for you." So it's to Him I turn to for help with an adversary that refuses to back down ... and allergies that just won't let go. These battles are temporary. Christ has the final victory. So armor up ...while I grab another tissue.