The enemy.

I was scared. I remember vividly how my heart was racing, and the terror rushing my thoughts. I could see someone coming, they weren't hurried, but slow and steady in their movement. They were coming into my house, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they weren't there for my possessions, but for me. I knew they wanted me dead.

Their patient progress towards me didn't give me more hope of getting away, but instead struck even more fear as I knew I would never be fully 'away' from whoever this was, but that they would slowly, but constantly be making progress my way. I ran.

I ran next door into a building, where there were two office doors. The closest one was open and a man sitting at a desk. The second door was closed, but it was the office of the man I thought would truly be a protection. I jiggled and shoved at his door.... locked. It was locked. The door I had entered the building by opened and my enemy calmly walked in. I called out to the second man that I had originally passed up, praying for any help he might be able to give.

My enemy was a young woman. She wasn't large in build, or very muscular. As the man I cried out to for help, exited his office to see the commotion, she turned to him and smiled. I watched incredulously as she and my protector had a polite discussion. As I insisted her to be a danger, he calmly explained that it was all just a misunderstanding. I felt panicked and alone as I could not convince someone that she was indeed a threat and a danger to me.

She then turned her smile to me, a smile that had lost all it's charm and false grace. A smile that....

And then I woke up.

How many friends do I have running from an invisible enemy? Knowing little except they're scared, they're being hurt, and their lives are being broken and destroyed.

Just typing the dream as I saw it this morning still makes my heart race. As I woke, an instant parallel was drawn between this woman and my true enemy. Satan is on earth to steal, kill, and destroy. His name is not used very often. Satan, Lucifer, Abaddon, Beelzebub, Belial, devil.

He is our enemy. Willing to kill us with violence, or with something as simple as indifference. Whatever the method of killing, dead is still no more than dead. He has taken simple methods of showing a child cocaine and assuring them that it is cool and doesn't hurt anything. He's taken extreme methods and birthed the idea of the effectiveness of bombs on busy subway tracks. He keeps sinners occupied with troubles and events so they won't believe they have time for church. And he overwhelms them with Christian rules so they believe they'll never be able to conform to "the image of Christ".

He is an enemy. He is deadly. He is underestimated.

We have closed our spiritual eyes, assuming that demonic powers of this world are simply "life". Drugs happen, suicide happens, devastation happens, marriages break up, unwanted children aborted, homosexuals simply confused. Our weak friends, our weak co-workers, our weak family members all feel the taint of death on their life and are desperate for help - for God.

We are suppose to see with spiritual eyes. To see the enemy they can't see. Where counselors may define it with clinical terms, diagnose it and treat it with medication; we're suppose to see the enemy for what it really is, past the charm and gracious smile, lies Lucifer. The Father of lies.