Enemies
We all have experiences in life where others have caused us harm or for whatever reason become enemies who intend to harm us. The “natural” way of responding to these situations is to have unforgiveness and a desire to avenge the harm we may already have suffered or wish that such people suffer harmful experiences themselves. Start typing
Let us consider how God wants us to deal withsuch people.
Jesus said:
35 ‘But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 ‘Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.’ “ Luke 6:35-36 [New King James Version]
When Jesus speaks of “loving our enemies”, He is not referring to an emotional feeling of love, but a decision to treat others as we would like them to treat us. As the He teaches us in Luke 6:31 [NLT]: “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”
He also gives us a reason to do so – because God the Father is kind to the unthankful and evil, therefore we should be merciful, just as He is merciful. Those of us in this room who have already given our lives to Christ know that we were once evil and unthankful to God (we lived however we liked, didn’t care about God’s word, we were unthankful to Him for sending us a Saviour to pay for our sins – yet He forgave us all our sins against Him and we did not have to pay a price for our sins). In the same way, Jesus tells us to be kind and merciful to our enemies.
By so doing, we exhibit the character of God and we truly become “sons of the Most High”. And, Jesus tells us that if we do so, we will receive a great reward.
But, you may ask, how can I simply forget what my enemy has done to me and simply treat them as though nothing ever happened (i.e. treat them as I would like them to treat me)? You are right in asking such a question – simply pretending that the pain of the past is forgotten without actual forgiveness will achieve nothing – someday the truth will come out, and in any case God knows what is in our hearts, so He knows if we are pretending.
The Bible teaches us how to handle such situations:
“17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” [2 Corinthians 3:17-18 New Living Translation]
It is the Holy Spirit that will give us strength to treat our enemies as we would like them to treat us. He will transform our hearts from stony, hard hearts into forgiving hearts that are able to treat others with love. This happens as the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of God. The more we yield to His leading, the more we will be transformed in our hearts and find the ability to forgive and break all other bondages that are ungodly. That is when we will experience the “freedom” that verse 17 tells us of, including the pain of the past.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 [New Living Translation]
How do we do this? By praying and expressing all our troubles and cares to God and leaving such troubles in His hands. He is the only One who knows the truth, who cares about us and is able to deal with such troublesome issues in our lives.
Our focus should be on following the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives as He will lead us to the path God wants us to take, knowing that it is by following that path that our cares and troubles will be taken care of. God has a good plan and purpose for each and every person in this world.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” [Jeremiah 29:11 New Living Translation]
Therefore, the good news for those who have already given their lives to Christ, is that by following these practical steps following the leading of the Holy Spirit and giving our cares to God: we can find true freedom from the pain of the past; live up to God’s standard of forgiving our enemies and treating them with love; and walk in the path that God has planned for each of us, so that our lives fulfil His good purpose for us. As Jesus promises in Luke 6:35, we will also receive a great reward.
If you would like to receive the gift of salvation that God has for you today, make a decision in your own heart that you want to be forgiven of your sins and that you wish to turn your back on a sinful life. Believe in the Kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ [Mark 1:15]. The Bible says if you confess with your mouth (i.e. actually say it) that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead, you will receive salvation [Romans 10:9-10]. Salvation is open to any human being who calls upon the name of the Lord [Romans 10:12-13].
If you want to get saved right now:
First silently read the text in the paragraph below and make sure you understand it. It is a confession prayer you can use to get born again this very moment.
If in your heart you agree with the content of the statement below then, read it again, but this time say it with your mouth out loud as you read it:
“Father, I thank You that you sent Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to take my sins and my punishment. Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for me and that God raised You from the dead. Today I confess that You are my Lord and my Saviour. Father, forgive me of all of my sins. Thank You Father that today, by Your grace, I am born again, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Did you say the above prayer sincerely to receive Jesus Christ into your life? If so, please click on “yes” below to get guidance on what to do next.