The Enemy at the Gate

You’ve sensed it. Just when clarity comes about your next season, suddenly everything gets harder. Just when you’re ready to move forward, obstacles multiply. Just when you finally understand what God is calling you to, resistance rises like a wall between you and your future.

This isn’t coincidence. This is warfare.

There’s an enemy who doesn’t want you to cross the threshold into your new season, and he intensifies his efforts precisely when you’re closest to breakthrough. Understanding this dynamic is critical because if you don’t recognize spiritual resistance for what it is, you’ll misinterpret it as a sign you’re on the wrong path. You’ll mistake warfare for God closing a door. You’ll retreat right when you should be advancing.

The enemy at the gate has one primary objective, keep you from crossing over into what God has prepared for you. And he has a strategic playbook he uses every single time someone stands at the threshold of their next season.

The Predictable Pattern of Opposition

Opposition isn’t random, it’s strategic. The enemy doesn’t waste resources fighting battles that don’t matter. He concentrates his efforts at critical junctures, at moments of transition when the potential for kingdom impact is greatest. When you’re coasting along in your comfort zone, he leaves you relatively alone. But when you’re about to step into your calling? That’s when he shows up at full strength.

Think about it biblically. When Moses stood before Pharaoh demanding the release of God’s people, Pharaoh’s heart hardened. When the Israelites were finally about to leave Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them to the Red Sea. The most intense opposition came right at the threshold of deliverance. When Nehemiah prepared to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, immediate opposition arose from Sanballat and Tobiah. The closer he got to completion, the more desperate and creative their attacks became. When Jesus was about to launch His public ministry, Satan showed up in the wilderness with temptations specifically designed to derail His mission.

The pattern is consistent: transition points attract opposition.

Why? Because the enemy understands something we often forget, seasons matter. There are assignments available in your new season that aren’t accessible in your old one. There are people you’ll reach, impact you’ll have, authority you’ll carry, and fruit you’ll bear in the next season that can’t happen if you stay where you are. The enemy doesn’t mind you being blessed in your current season as long as you never step into your next one. He can manage you where you are. It’s where you’re going that terrifies him.

Every threshold represents a multiplication of your effectiveness for the kingdom. The enemy’s goal isn’t to destroy you, it’s to keep you from reaching your full potential in God. If he can keep you stuck in transition, hesitating at the threshold, questioning whether you heard God correctly, he accomplishes his mission without having to directly attack you. He just has to make the path forward look impossible, dangerous, or wrong.

https://www.bravebeyondbreaking.com/blog

Melissa Saulnier