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We are all fully aware that we live in a day where it seems like hostility rules everywhere. We have leaders who don’t seem to get anything done but bad mouth and verbally attack one another. I wonder if they care about those they are supposed to be representing or are more worried about keeping power.

As followers of Jesus, we must be careful not to fall into the pit of political slime that seems to permeate all around us. We need to be diligent so that the heart and mentality of the world do not infiltrate into the church. In Romans chapter 16 the Apostle Paul gives a great warning to this issue. The Holy Spirit through Paul tells us to be on the lookout for those who cause trouble. This is not a warning about the society in which we live, but this warning is for the church.

Paul goes on to tell us what to watch out for. Look out for people who do not want to serve the Lord but want to receive power and glory that rightly belongs to our King. This is a warning given to us over two thousand years ago and it is a warning that we need to heed even today. The only way such people can succeed is if the church is naïve and refuses to mature in the word.

This will sometimes force us into confronting swindlers and fakes. Doing this is not always pleasant or fun, but we must have the courage to do so. Paul not only warns us of false teachers who would harm the church, but he also gives us a word of encouragement. In verse 20 of chapter 16, we get this word, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” We keep fighting and we continue to keep the faith. One day the Lord Jesus Christ will allow us to have a great victory over this being called the great deceiver, the serpent, the dragon, the devil. This fulfills a promise in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Hang in there. Jesus is coming again, and one day we will see the enemy defeated once and for all. Until then fight the good fight and do not let the enemy have any victories in your life.