I heard a pastor recently state that we’re going to always have enemies.
He shared that people are going to fall into one of these categories: you will have people that will always hate you, you will have people who are willing to be persuaded differently about you and you will have people who really don’t care about you either way.
People will have issues with you for a variety of reasons in life and many of those issues will be out of your control. Nevertheless, God has asked us to do something that may go against every fiber of your being: love them. Yes, we’re asked to love our enemies and much more.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” — Matthew 5:44
The last thing you want to do for someone who has hurt you physically or emotionally, made your life hell, slandered you or sabotaged you, is do good to them. In fact, this world teaches us to get even and people often quote the Bible verse, “An eye for an eye.”
Jesus created a new covenant when He died on the Cross and gave us a new way as believers when we accepted that death.
“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” — John 13:34
Ok, love others but, love my enemy too?
I had a challenging week recently and was being attacked by an enemy. They put me in a position where I felt disrespected, disregarded and on the defense. I thought I was handling the situation in the best way possible until I received wise counsel.
I was reminded that I had to love, bless, do good and pray for my enemy. I had to relinquish my will and do it God’s way.
In return for doing my Father’s will, not my own, I was graced in the situation. I received peace instantly in exchange for a lot of anxiety and anger. The Lord literally took a load off my shoulders and allowed me to dance in the midst of my enemy so-to-speak. I had no more worries or cares — He took over.
You don’t have to worry about where you are going to find the reserve to love your enemy —God will supply. The moment I surrendered my will, God flooded my heart with love, sympathy and understanding, but more importantly, grace and mercy.
You will never do better than when you do anything for the Lord’s sake. You will never go wrong humbling yourself, relinquishing your will and doing what the Lord tells you to do.
