Have you ever faced an enemy that regardless of how hard you fight; you never seem able to defeat?
Our receptionist named him Zacchaeus, the little bird that comes to the office every day to face a mortal enemy – his own reflection in the window.
This little guy’s entire day is spent puffing up, pecking and throwing himself at the window. Each night he retreats, but only to prepare for tomorrow’s battle!
No matter what little Zacchaeus does, he just can’t seem to vanquish his opponent.
Like Zacchaeus, we too face an enemy who challenges us every day. Our enemy stares back at us from the mirror as we arise each day and begin the battle anew.
Three things to expect from our enemy:
- Our Enemy Is Relentless
There will never be a day that the enemy in the mirror does not want something that God has forbidden.
It might desire the reflection of another who is fighting a similar battle. It might desire the possessions or position of another. The desires of the enemy are endless in number.
God warned us this battle was coming.
Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
The fight is on and the enemy in the mirror will be relentless to get what it wants!
[bctt tweet=”There will never be a day that the enemy in the mirror does not want something that God has forbidden.” username=”michaelkduff”]
- Our Enemy Is Untiring
One of the saddest parts of watching Zacchaeus do battle with his enemy every day, is when he slumps to the ground in total exhaustion from the battle.
The longer we battle with the enemy in the mirror, the more exhausted we will become in the fight. The hard part is that we are fighting an opponent who never seems to grow weary.
Regardless of how long the battle rages, our enemy never seems to tire of seeking to fulfill its desires. This is a 24/7 fight that strips us of our rest, our peace and our health.
As long as we are bound in this sinful flesh and fallen world, the enemy in the mirror will never cease to be pecking back at us, trying to get us to serve its sinful desires.
- Our Enemy In Is Insatiable
The enemy in the mirror only wants one thing – MORE!
It does not matter how much, or how little we give, there will never be a point that our enemy will be satisfied. The reflection in the mirror will always want more.
One more step toward sin, one more sinful act, one more step away from God and His Word, one more…
Just one more, that’s all that is needed, until the next time we look in the mirror and face the same enemy. Each victory makes our opponent bolder and stronger. We will never be able to quench its desire.
So how do we break the cycle?
The only way we can silence the enemy in the mirror is to change the reflection of what we see.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
As we become more and more Christlike, the desires of the one reflected in the mirror will begin to change. There will still be a battle each day, but as Christ works in us, the desires will begin to change.
The desire for more sin will be replaced with a desire for more righteousness, more godliness, more purity, and even more Christlikeness.
The more we become like Christ, the less we will want what the enemy wants. Our desire will change as we serve God rather than self.
The enemy in the mirror will always be lurking there, but we can alter its reflection.
Begin the change today. Write down three things that the enemy in the mirror wants from you right now.
For each item, find a biblical principle that addresses that sinful desire.
Then go read your response to the enemy in the mirror!