Do y'all remember the popular movie series The Hunger Games? I LOVED those books and movies and really got into the dystopian genre afterwards. One line from the second Hunger Games has forever stuck with me..."Remember who the real enemy is!"
The above picture is from the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In this scene, the 24 selected contestants of The Hunger Games grab hands in a sign of unity while protesting the games. The games are similar to the barbaric games of the Roman colosseums - these games require all 24 contestants to fight each other to the death until only one remains - the lone victor.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12 NLT
"Remember who the real enemy is!" - Finnick Odair, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
WHO IS the real enemy?
Humans NEED their enemy to have a face. It's as though we need a target to aim our anger at, hatred at - to justify our needs for revenge and killing. After Pearl Harbor, the face of the enemy was Japanese or Asian. After 9/11, the face of the enemy was Arab, Middle-Eastern, or any number of religions who wear garments similar in nature to those of Muslims.
Were either of those examples justified? Was and has every face that matches the above mentioned characteristics proved to be an enemy of America? NO!
I've worked on two graduate degrees in two different fields - education and counseling. I think it is safe to say that upper level education is heavily influenced by secular humanism (secular humanism = humanism, with regard in particular to the belief that humanity is capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in God). In my most recent studies, I have been sad to discover that the face of the enemy of liberalism is the white, heterosexual, cisgender, able, Christian, upper/middle-class, male.
Once the face of our enemy is in place, in our minds and our hearts, then we have a channel to direct all the stored up and many times unhealthfully suppressed anger in our lives. But I submit to you that we are aiming at the wrong target and missing EVERY time.
The Bible teaches us that our true enemy is spirits - demonic spirits. Humans have the ability to choose, freely, whom they will be influenced by and whom they will serve. God's influence is all throughout the earth, God's enemy's influence is also throughout the earth. God's enemy influences humans to murder, steal, and destroy. God's Spirit influences humans to love and good works.
Humor me and continue reading the following metaphor I derived from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In The Hunger Games, the federal government creates an arena, with the head Gamemaker at the helm. The arena is the setting where the 24 contestants must battle each other until the death of 23. The last person standing is the lone victor. Prior to being selected as a contestant by the government, these 24 individuals are not in conflict with each other, other than their own loyalty to the district they live in.
The comparison I derive to our life on earth is that God's enemy, Satan, is like the head Gamemaker and the arena he has created are the systems of this world. Humans are forced to exist and compete with each other within these systems (education, work, politics, etc.). The systems pit us humans against each other and we begin to derive our loyalty towards those who are like us (we become loyal to our race, our nationality, our religion, etc.).
In The Hunger Games, one of the contestants says to the main character, "Remember who the real enemy is!" and he is referring to the federal government/gamemakers.
AND THAT is the reminder that we need right now. Humanity's REAL enemy are the demonic spirits which are rampant in our world, making humans captive, pitting us humans against each other, going completely undetected, especially in societies like America, which are materialistic and who don't really believe in a spirit realm. We waste all this time and energy and anger on each other when the real enemy is reeking havoc on our souls!!!
Anger is NOT a negative emotion! ONLY when it is misdirected! If we could collectively STOP blaming God and STOP blaming each other and join together in spiritual warfare against the spirits who are enemies of God and our souls...THAT is how you fight against a dystopia and release utopia (Heaven) here on earth.
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