Biblical Teaching
Are People Ever the Enemy in Spiritual Warfare?
Scripture answers this directly, and the answer is no. What that means for the person who is genuinely hurting you.
[Pastor to be assigned] · Jesus King of Kings · 2 min
Prepared for review — not yet approved teaching The teachings and answers below were drafted so this section could be built and read. They have not been written or reviewed by the pastors of this ministry, and no author is named. Nothing here should be treated as the ministry’s teaching until a pastor has reviewed and adopted it.
This question usually comes from someone with a real situation — a relative, a colleague, someone at church. The Bible’s answer is unusually direct, and it is not "ignore what they are doing".
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.
Ephesians 6:12Paul draws the line before anyone can move it. Whatever the spiritual realm involves, it does not turn a person into your enemy — and there is no exception clause for someone who has genuinely wronged you.
Why this matters so much
Because the alternative destroys churches. Once a person can be identified as the opposition, everything they do is read as evidence, prayer becomes a weapon aimed at them, and reconciliation becomes impossible — you cannot repent toward someone you have categorized as the enemy.
It has also been used to justify real harm. A great deal of damage has been done by people who were certain God had shown them who the problem was.
What this does not mean
It does not mean pretending nothing happened, staying in a harmful situation, or calling abuse a misunderstanding. Scripture is realistic about people who do wrong, and it never asks you to stay where you are being hurt.
- You may name what happened plainly. Honesty is not unforgiveness.
- You may set a boundary, and keep it.
- You may leave a situation that is damaging you.
- You may involve the authorities. Romans 13 exists for a reason.
- You may forgive and still not trust. Those are two different things.
What to do with the person
Pray for them by name. Not "against" them — for them. It is the hardest instruction Jesus gives and one of the few He gives twice, and in practice it is the thing that most reliably changes how a situation feels from the inside.
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5:44Key takeaways
- Scripture rules out treating a person as the enemy, with no exception for someone who wronged you.
- Calling a person the opposition makes reconciliation impossible and has been used to justify harm.
- Boundaries, honesty, leaving, and involving the authorities are all compatible with this.
- Forgiving somebody and trusting them are two different decisions.
- Pray for them by name — the hardest instruction, and the one that changes the most.
A prayer
Lord, You know what this person has done and You know what it has cost me. I will not make them my enemy. Give me honesty about what happened, wisdom about what to do, courage to be safe, and love I do not currently feel. Amen.
Practical next steps
- Pray for the person by name once a day for a week, and notice what changes in you.
- If you need a boundary, decide what it is before the next conversation.
- If you are being harmed, contact your local emergency services and tell a pastor.
Scripture in this teaching
Ephesians 6:12 · Matthew 5:44 · Romans 12:17-21 · Romans 13:1-4
You do not have to carry your questions alone.
Write to the pastoral team, ask for prayer, or speak with a pastor. Whichever you choose, it is free and it stays between us.