Loving Our Enemies

How to live Free

You can be the nicest person on the face of the planet and there will still be someone who hates you, is jealous of you, or just wants to see you suffer. It’s happened since the beginning of time, and it will be this way until the end of time. (Sorry if that sounds grim). But the fact of the matter is, Jesus was (and still is) pretty darn amazing! He taught love, encouraged peace, spoke life, healed folks. I mean, come on, what more could you ask for! AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM! Despite all His goodness, He ended up on the cross because he had enemies. People hated Him, hated what He represented, and hated the message He spread. Their hate for Him is why He was crucified. Did you catch that I said, THEIR hate for Him, not the other way around?
Jesus wasn’t crucified because of how he felt toward His enemies. He wasn’t crucified because He was trying to inflict pain and suffering upon anyone. He was crucified because hate was deeply rooted in the hearts of His enemies, and they wanted nothing more than to see Him dead.

Fast forward to present day. On our best days we are nothing like Jesus, yet we still have enemies. Saved or unsaved, Christian or Buddhist, white, black, or purple, WE HAVE ENEMIES. So how do we deal with them? 

*DRUMROLL PLEASE* 

PRAY FOR THEM! That’s right, I said it. Pray for your enemies! When people speak curses over you, SPEAK BLESSINGS! (Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:28 NIV)
When the are hateful towards you, WALK IN LOVE! (And live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2 NIV) When people persecute you, PRAY GOD IS MERCIFUL ON THEM! I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the point. When we allow ourselves to be consumed with hate, we become hostages. We’re prisoners of hate because we become so focused on our enemies that little else is of importance. We want to know what they’re doing so we can do it better. Where they’re going so we can go someone better. Who they’re friend are so we can make sure our friends are better. That’s not living!

 As crazy as it sounds, there really are benefits to praying for our enemies. Try it and watch how quickly you become set free!

Written by Amber Boggs. If you would like to contact Amber, you can reach her here.