Enemies of the Faith

Let's discuss eight enemies of the Christian faith. More specifically, they are enemies of an individual Christian’s faith. They do not come charging in, but move in subtly. Like the story of the frog in the gradually heated beaker of cold to boiling water, it’s often too late when individuals discover the enemies’ tactics. What are these enemies?

#1

Isolation – this is perhaps the easiest enemy to spot and the most difficult from which to recover. I personally believe that COVID-19 was targeted by hell to isolate people from one another. This world-wide pandemic claimed over three-million lives, and forced people into their homes, making many all too comfortable with being alone. However, isolationism  is unhealthy in every way.  God said to Adam in Genesis 2:18:. “It is not good for man to be alone.” This verse, of course, refers to marriage; however, the overlying principle remains the same. We were meant for connection. Periodic alone time is essential but after a while, it steals the human need for “healthy community.” During the pandemic, many churches went virtual. Online services, thought to be a safe alternative, eventually turned out to be a socially devastating idea, as Christians everywhere watched services in their pajamas while sitting on their couch. Church attendance is down to 19 percent of Christians regularly gathering weekly. Isolation proved to be a tactical error of dreadful proportions. As a pastor, I know that when individuals and families refuse to become a regular part of the overall community of Hope, and begin missing Sunday morning services on a regular basis, it’s not long before they disappear altogether. DO NOT FALL PREY TO THE ENEMY’S ISOLATION TRAP! 

#2

Double-mindedness – The apostle James warns us that double mindedness leads to instability in all areas of life (1:8). Double-minded means wavering in mind, undecided, or vacillating. It can also mean marked by hypocrisy or insincerity. The Bible warns against being double-minded. The opposite of double-minded  is, of course, being single minded or determined.  Believers who are double-minded allow their emotions to run amuck, the strong winds of culture to fashion their morals, or their inability to stick with anything pull them away from Christian life and service. According to the Bible, double-mindedness will be one of the hallmarks of Christians in the end time church. Stay single-minded! Live intentionally!

#3

Unfaithfulness – Isolationism and double-mindedness lead to unfaithfulness. I often say, “Those who miss church frequently eventually do not miss church at all.” It’s a slow burn, but unfaithful people fill church pews (chairs!) everywhere, or should I say, “Don’t fill the pews! Unfaithfulness leads to permanent fallout, spiritual lukewarmness, and even eternal loss. I always take exception to those who say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” While there may be partial truth in this belief, and of course exceptions that cannot be helped; overall, Christians are commanded to worship together regularly (Hebrew 10:25). Unfaithfulness is never tolerated by those who walk intimately with Jesus and believe in the power of the gospel to save and change lives. They never find excuses to be unfaithful.

#4

Poor social skills – You might ask, “How can poor social skills become the Christian’s enemy? It’s easy! To not demand that our children develop proper people skills is to set them up for failure on the job, in their marriages, in their friendships and yes, in their spiritual walk. We must insist that those we love not be allowed to “grunt their way” through life! Communication breakdowns run rampant in today’s culture. Customer service has declined everywhere. The other day, I greeted a guy in the grocery store check-out lane with. “Good morning, how are you?” Nothing! Then, when I tried to start a friendly conversation, he shook his shoulders and looked away.” Determined to get a response, I further asked, “Am I speaking loud enough? Do you not hear me?” To which he replied, “I don’t feel like talking.” Sorry, but when the store manager asked me if I found everything I was looking for, I reported my check-out experience. I was both insulted and grieved to know that communication disconnections are filling our stores, fast food restaurants, places of employment, friendships and yes, even our churches. 

This is inexcusable and must be confronted. To embrace good people skills is to succeed in life and in our spiritual walk. Jesus, the master communicator, understood the necessity of effective communication skills. John described it this way in 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched, this we proclaim.” Effective communication includes hearing, seeing, observing, touching (appropriately) and proclaiming. I watch those with compromised people skills come to church and refuse to talk with people, remain aloof, and miss out on community life. The blame lies at their feet, not the church. This is an important part of life and must be developed and sharpened if we are to receive all the Lord has for us.

#5

Unteachable – To be unteachable is to be pride-filled. None of us know it all, and all of us need instruction and godly counsel. Even the most stalwart of saints are prone to miss the mark at times. When Christians become unteachable, unwilling to accept correction, or discipline, they open themselves up to enemy attack. A heart tethered to God keeps one humbled and always willing to accept whatever the Lord desires. We must remain open to the Spirit’s guidance and direction. 

#6

Disdain for reading – reading scores are at an all-time low in America. Many of our children are reading below their grade level, and as a result, writing skills are compromised as well. This should be a cause for concern. Beginning in the 1960’s and continuing, phonics were slowly removed from public school classrooms. When I taught high school English in the 1980’s, we graduated students who were poor readers and who could not write a good paragraph. I became horrified at the implications of this trend. Simply put, when believers possess poor reading skills, they are likely to abstain from reading the Scriptures, which make them wise unto salvation. Poor reading skills produce weak Christians. Please do not minimize this truth in your life. Perhaps one of the best ministries any church can offer to its community is a remedial reading course! 

#7

Undisciplined lifestyle – The Christian life is a disciplined life. Jesus said in Matthew 18:19, “Go into all the world and make disciples…” Believers ought to be some of the most disciplined, organized people on the planet! To be undisciplined is to be careless and disorganized, and even out of control. Understand something. If we don’t plan our days, and wisely use our time, we invite confusion, slothfulness and a gross lack of productivity to characterize our lives. In short, when we allow time to run us instead of the reverse, we are apt to miss out on the fulness of what God intended for us. Wasted days and years constitute a spiritual travesty.

#8

Refusal to take personal responsibility for sin and actions – After the fall into sin, the human race has always played the “Blame Game.” Adam said, “This woman you gave me….” Eve said, “The serpent made me…” And so forth. We find it all too easy to blame others for our sins and shortcomings. When believers choose to not accept personal responsibility for their sins, decisions and actions, they often blame others, their boss, their church, their whoever. This is a mark of irresponsibility  and immaturity. Until we accept full responsibility for our thoughts, actions and sins, we cannot reach our full potential in Christ. Many Christians never grow to become vital components of the kingdom because they refuse to move past this all-important  principle. 


The above eight enemies of our faith, of course, is not make a comprehensive list. We understand that our greatest enemy – Satan – “goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). We are instructed to remain sober and vigilant.  However, we need not live in fear of our defeated foe. We defeat him every day “through the blood of Jesus, and the word of our testimony” (Revelation 12:11). The apostle James, too, reminds us to “Submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from us” (James 5:7). Then, verse 8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.”