To live a life that is centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not easy. We are in everyday of our lives being bombarded by various “enemies” of our soul that God permits to tempt us, thereby testing our faith in him.
But what are these “enemies”?
All the evils to which the soul is subject moves from the three enemies mentioned here: the world, the devil and the flesh. If we can in any way hide ourselves from these we shall have no combats to fight.
The world is a little difficult, and the devil is more difficult to understand; but the flesh is the most persistent of all, and the last to overcome.
If we do not conquer the three, we shall never conquer one perfectly; and if we eventually conquer one, we shall also conquer the rest in the same proportion.
Frequently, these three enemies are connected to the parable of Jesus about the sower and can help us understand our need to be vigilant and combat these forces with all our might. Below is what the parable says.
A sower went out to sow. And as he was sowing, some seed fell down along the path, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell down on rocky ground, where there was no much soil, and immediately it started growing though it had no depth of soil, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it died off. Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it bore no seed. (Mark 4:3-7)
