Welcome to the KUW Insight Podcast. Today’s insight is titled ‘The Hidden Enemy” written by Ade Ojomo and read by Wale Akinbulumo
Discussion Points:
1. Have you been involved in a minor or major conflict?
2. What was the impact and consequences for those involved?
3. Do you have a strategy for managing conflict?
We have all been involved in some form of conflict and have expressed our opinions and views either verbally or orally – in manners that have led to short term, medium term, long terms and in case lasting consequences.
We see father divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter; daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law; daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; nations against nations - "etcetera etcetera" – A phrase conned from the award-winning 1956 movie – The King and I
The narrative for this episode of The KUW Insight is from a short version for the definition of ‘conflict’ sourced from the internet. It defines conflict as the following:
a struggle or clash between opposing forces
This led me to ask the following questions:
1. Should my spouse be the opposing force?
2. Should my children be the opposing force?
3. Should my friends and family be the opposing force?
Opposing forces tend to be associated with the word ‘enemy’ and the relationships just identified should definitely not be classified under this category.
So, who truly is the enemy in times of conflict?
It took reading a passage from 1 Samuel 30 to understand the importance of identifying the real enemy - the clear and present danger and have a strategy in place to respond to conflict presented by the real enemy.
When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So, David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
When David got to Ziklag, he inquired from the Lord for the identity of the real enemy and the Lord gave him the strategy to adopt to eliminate totally what was the clear and present danger and in doing this; David was able to recover all that was taken.
Points to Ponder
1. The real enemy is a not a physical one but a spiritual force
2. Recognise and resist the influence of the hidden enemy in the heavenly realm
3. To fight these forces, we need to inquire of the Lord because our weapons are not carnal but mighty in Christ to the dismantling of their stronghold
Goodbye and until the next KUW Insight
Shalom – Love Never Fails
