Our Own Worst Enemy

Pogo in the comic strip said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." For the individual that becomes I have met my enemy ,and he is me. We are the enemy; each of us.  The enemy to whom? Our own soul.

Maybe we are the enemy even more than to our soul, but even to our minds and bodies. We do what is right in our own eyes, and oftentimes those things are addictive and destruction. The typical person is self-destructive in some manner or form. Of course, each person clings to their own stronghold of choice because they are special in their own eyes: Whatever, it is, they believe it won't destroy them. That goes all the way from doing things from overeating to suicide, and from thinking things from jealousy to hatred. As long as it's me (or you), it is okay, because each of us are special in our own eyes.

Everyone cares for themselves! Some believe that they're special: Those people complain about loathing themselves. Of course, people disappoint themselves. I do that everyday! You may too. Loathing is a strong word. In the context of a person, it is to find oneself repugnant. It's those who hate who they are: In other words, it's people who are self-haters.

Ephesians 5:29 "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:"

I wrote about that the other day. (UNDESERVING). Even more is said in my very old commentary on self-esteem. SELF-ESTEEM.

Men do not loathe themselves, and neither do women. They may not like who they are, but they will protect their own feelings, some to the point of self-destruction. What I mean is that for some, rather than face self-criticism or real events, they may just end it all.

Original sin was when Adam did what he wanted to do in spite of what God willed him to do. By rebeling against the authority of God, even the serpent acknowledged that Adam wanted to be his own god, and Eve as well. (Genesis 3:5; "ye shall be as gods"). Gods don't hate themselves; they desire to be appeased, even worshipped! Hence, mankind's problem is not one of self-loathing, but self-loving.

That proposition is crucial to salvation. When we are born-again, the enlightenment that one must have is that: he or she is not a god, and has no power to save his or her own self. Furthermore, the enlightened person comes to realize that the only way to salvation is to trust God for salvation. God already provided the propitiation of his own blood for that very purpose. When any of these self-styled gods sacrifice their own idol, and trust in Jesus for salvation, those people become new persons.

The focus of their esteem turns from self to God. That is their living sacrifice, and God's says that it is the reasonable thing to do.

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

We are to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Then, we take our self and crucify it on the cross.

 Galatians 5:24 - "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

Those who are born-again must destroy the one they love: The idol of the self is the flesh. It is the part of the person which pleasures in what the world has to offer. The new birth is consummated when the old self is crucified.

Mankind's problem is that he loves the self so much that, although the person believes in Christ, he still loves the self. The self is man's worst enemy! Each of us are the other gods besides God which he commands us to not have (the First Commandment).  The problem is that some love their self so much, and the pleasures they have - whether wealth, power, or whatever; that they just won't change. Those people are their own worst enemies!  They keep themselves from going to heaven so that they can continue to love themselves more than they love God.

It is a given that we love ourselves because the standard of loving others, is that we should love them as ourselves. God does not recognize self-hate because it is non-existent!

What about those who have negativity toward themselves. Yes, some do. They feel badly because they love themselves so much that they are easily disappointed in their own performance. That's hard to understand because it is sleight-of-hand on the part of Satan. He wants people to feel poorly of themselves, so that they fail to understand that they are their own gods. If people are wallowing in self-pity, they don't spend enough time realizing that they are magnifying their own gods, and don't recognize that they are their own worst enemy.

It's a deception: While they have the façade of self-loathing, all the while those who self-loathe are really seeking self-aggrandizement. They want to feel better about themselves, so they feel bad about who they are. God wants them to have  a realistic view of who they are.

Who are we? We are God's creation. We should feel great that God is our Creator and adoptive Father, if we have been born-again. That's a positive emotion. When there is a pretense of loathing of oneself, it's because the person probably never made the self-sacrifice it takes to be a child of God.

The entire point in this commentary is for the reader to not be fooled by emotions. The psyche is hard to understand, and we never will. However, scripture is as plain as day: We are our own worst enemy because we are all the other gods besides God! In order to serve one Master, we must crucify the other. We are to hang the self on the cross, and have Christ-esteem instead of self-esteem!

Commercial time: Look for my new book, The Skull of Adam" on Amazon and the bookshelves of Barnes and Noble and Christian bookstores. I think you'll be enlightened with God's Plan for mankind.