"Love Your Enemies!"
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As a Christian, one admonition that I have found hard to do is ...
"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
In my prayer time, I have said to the Lord, "You know that I won't really mean it. If I ask you to bless the people that I can't stand, I'll actually be hoping that you will fulfill this scripture ..."
"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee." Proverbs 25:21, 22 (also found in Romans 12:20)
Children of God were called to bless and not curse. It's not within our power or jurisdiction to curse anyone.
"Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not." Romans 12:14
"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewtih bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." James 3:8-10
But, I couldn't get past the real feelings in my heart. I said to the Lord, "You know my heart that I won't really mean it." I had prayed that way for years. Finally, it seemed the Lord said to me in the Spirit (I heard no voices), "Just obey me. Do it by faith."
So, I've started doing it. People who have treated me unfairly or cruelly, I ask God to bless them in the name of His Son, Yashua (Jesus in English translation). I've even caught myself grimacing as I pray for these people -- that's how hard it is for me to do it. My flesh doesn't want to see my enemies blessed. God knows my heart. I'm not trying to fool anyone. But, I'm doing it because our Lord Yashua told us to do it.
Sometimes, we just have to step out and do something by faith. We may not understand it; we may not want to do it; however, as children of God, we need to obey.
Many times as I've prayed to the Lord, I've asked him to help me (us) be as forgiving as Jesus was when he hanged on the cross, and as forgiving as Stephen when he was killed, or Joseph, who forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery. I don't think I'm there yet. But, I'm hoping that because I'm obeying Him and trying to do it, someday I will arrive.
I try not to be selfish and just pray for myself. I pray that the whole Church be what God wants her to be and that we all learn to love our enemies and forgive all who wrong us.
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