What Effect Do You Have on Your Enemies?

1 Samuel 19:18-24 (Amplified Bible)
18 So David fled and escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19 And it was told Saul, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David; and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul and they also prophesied.
21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
22 Then Saul himself went to Ramah and came to a great well that is in Secu; and he asked, Where are Samuel and David? And he was told, They are at Naioth in Ramah.
23 So he went on to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went on he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 He took off his royal robes and prophesied before Samuel and lay down stripped thus all that day and night. So they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

What affect do you have on your enemies? One of the most quoted Scriptures among Christians is Isaiah 54:17, which reads:

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

However, many of us are quoting the Scripture without living up to the pre-requisite. First, one must be a SERVANT of the Lord. A servant is someone who DOES SOMETHING. A servant works, in obedience, to his master. Servants understand sacrifice. Also, the Scripture speaks of righteousness. Those who have obtained righteousness from God, through the blood of Christ, are the only ones who can claim this inheritance.

When the pre-requisites are met, every tongue that rises in judgment will be condemned and the weapons that are formed will fail. Suddenly, instead of our enemies affecting us and the way we think or act, we will affect them. So, what affect do you have on your enemies? When they dare to rise against you, does the Spirit of the Lord take over, or does flesh continue to take action?

Too many times, the saints of God fall in the midst of their enemies. We often hear of “church folk” who fight and cuss when someone crosses them. Many get so angry that they have a make a very conscious effort just to calm down. In other words, their enemies and their situations easily gain control over them. This should NOT be the case.

In this passage of Scripture, we see David’s influence on his enemy, Saul. The first thing to note is that even when David became aware of Saul’s desire to bring him harm, he STILL SERVED. He STILL LOVE AND RESPECTED him. He did not reward evil with evil. There’s a lesson to be learned in that alone.

As Saul’s pursuit persists, instead of fighting, David runs to the counsel of Samuel, a man of God. The Bible then tells us that when Saul arrives and finds himself amongst those who are prophesying, he too begins to prophesy. The Spirit of God comes upon him, until outsiders could not tell the difference between him and the others.

When was the last time you, as a saint, caused your enemies to change rather than allowing them to change you? Has the Spirit of God come upon those around you simply because they are in your midst? God has called His people to have dominion and multiply. We must step up as God’s children and be true, consistent servants who are completely robed in His righteousness. What a change we will then see in our enemies and our atmosphere. To GOD be the glory!