I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.
I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
I trampled them like mud in the streets.
You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds. Psalm 18:37-45

Here we find David listing some of his conquests and how he was ruthless when he set out to destroy his enemies. He had no mercy with his enemies, none whatsoever. Why? Probably because they would would have had even less mercy with David.

We also have an adversary, who has no mercy with us. He “dogs us” wherever we go, whatever we say, and whatever we do. He is a roaring lion who tried to intimidate and humiliate. He spares no expense for us to sin and succumb to his ways. We know some of his tactics and methods that would seek to trip us up and have us fall flat on our faces.

Sometimes, though, we think we can outmaneuver or outflank him. We think we can outsmart him and beat him at his own game. It rarely if ever ends that way.

If we were truly wise, every time we recognize the adversary’s tactics, we’d call on God and run as far from Satan as we could. In fact, 1 Corinthians 10:13 teaches that very tactic:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

There’s a way out every time. We don’t walk towards the temptation but run away from it. And we need to be ruthless about that tactic.