Are You an Enemy of God??

Last updated on: May 17, 2023 at 5:34 pm by Dr. Andy McDaniel

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Are You an Enemy of God?? 2023-05-17T17:34:56-04:00 Dr. Andy McDaniel

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James 4:4
“You adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A4&version=KJV

What is an enemy?

We hear the word enemy throughout life. It may come in the form of war talk. It may come in the form of feelings toward the class bully. In the church world, we hear that the devil is the enemy. So we quickly see this word finds its way into our culture and conversation quite frequently. However, the word enemy means:

“a hostile force, to oppose.”

It is easy to depict another as an enemy. It is easy to describe the devil as the enemy. We hear and see the reports of rogue dictators, like the guy in North Korea, and see them as enemies. Political parties now see their opponents as enemies. Countries see other countries as enemies. And this list could go on and on; however, do we ever stop to consider that we could be an enemy, an enemy of God?

Me? How Could this Be?

One may shutter at the idea or even think, “How could you say such a thing, Pastor?” I didn’t say this, but God did. This passage from James shows that the word enemy has an additional meaning. The definition of the enemy now includes those who become “friends” with the world. In other words, those who try to ride the fence. The ones who try to fit in or never take a stand against the things that are not of God. James tells us here that such action places us on the list as an enemy of God.

I ask: “Who would want to be an enemy of God?” While certainly none of us would do so intentionally, at least I could not imagine so, but how many do so without giving it much thought? We see constant compromise these days. The attitude of “Oh well, times have changed.” Here is my question: Has God changed? According to Scripture, that does not happen.

The generation today is the “go-along” generation. What do I mean? To speak bluntly, nearly everything that starts today, even the foolish things, attracts others almost instantly. It is scary how fast people respond, often with little to no thought. Regardless of the concept, be it fashion, hairstyles, or even unhealthy trends, if someone does it, someone else will follow. But, then, it only needs a few seconds on the internet and is off and running.

Challenge

God is saying to the believer, be mindful of what you get involved with and be aware of what and who you support because it does matter, and even more significant, it matters to Him. Why? Because our witness is valuable and should be protected. Are we mindful of that as we go about our day?

Remember: temporary versus Eternal; which one do you concern yourself with more? Naturally, shiny objects grab our attention but remember that those shiny objects often contain hooks.

Something to think about!

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About Dr. Andy McDaniel

Dr. Andy McDaniel has served in ministry now for over twenty years. He serves as Sr. Pastor of West Fayetteville Baptist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Pastor Andy and his wife Melissa have three daughters and two grandsons. His passion for those who have yet to meet Christ is deep. In addition to teaching and preaching, he loves to write and produces a daily video lesson called "Making it Simple." You can read more about the author here.

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April 17, 2023 Words from Your Heart

What does 1 John say about anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister?

Select your answer to see how you score.

They do not know God They are hypocrites They are in darkness They are liars