Let’s face it, we all have at least one enemy, some of us have more then we can count. Some hate you for no cause, others hate you because of your accomplishments in life,the success you’ve worked so hard to obtain, you got a promotion and they felt like they should have gotten the promotion or maybe the hate stems from you are just good at being you, no apparent reason at all, they just simply don’t like you!
How do you handle someone that really dislikes you for no apparent reason and you have to deal with this person or persons on a regular basis? Having someone around you who despise you can really become a stressful situation. You do everything in your power to make peace but to no avail! You go out of your way to get out of their way, but why should you have to change your route because they have a problem with you, that’s their problem not yours right?
There is a saying that goes “you can please some of the people all of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time!” So, my suggestion to you is don’t even try, don’t change your personality, because they still wouldn’t be pleased, don’t stoop to their level because now you are becoming something you hate. Well, what are you to do, you ask? How do you love your enemy? I truly believe that for every problem there is a solution and that solution is found in the word of God.
Now when we was in the world, we dealt with situations like this with our own problem solving remedies. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, “you hate me so I’m going to hate you back, you don’t speak to me so I’m not speaking to you.” I hate to say it but this kind of behavior is even in the Church. “He/she is preaching I’m not going to service today, or if she/he ministering I’m not lifting my hands to give God praise because she/he is in the pulpit, if she/he is singing I’m not singing, I’m not going up for prayer because he/she is praying.” SMH
Really? Come on we are suppose to be the Body of Christ! Many members but one Body! This kind of activity we expect from people in the world because that’s the way of the world, the world’s system is set up for failure because the foundation is self. It’s all about me, myself and I, what can I get out of this, you hit me and I hit you back. That’s the way of the world.
Now that we have become members in the Body of Christ we are to no longer live as the world live, we are no longer to handle situations as we did in the past when we was in the world. Jesus knew that situations like these would rise up in His Body so He gave us a remedy.
Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus is talking to His disciples and He’s teaching them on how to deal with their enemies, He says in previous scriptures, I know that in the past you heard the saying an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, in other words, do unto others as they have done unto you! But, Jesus came with a different way of dealing with your enemies.
Vs. 44 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;
What? Totally opposite to what we are use to doing for our enemies, but Jesus gives us the remedy, first He tells us what to do, then He tells us how to do it, PRAY! That’s right pray for your enemies. When you pray for your enemy you begin to see them through God’s eyes and your heart become soft toward your enemy, if not, your heart will become hard, then bitter, then death! Before Jesus there was the Law, but now we are no longer under the Law, but Grace! That means we have grace now to pray for our enemies. Jesus tells us to love our enemies by praying for them that we might be like our Father which is in Heaven!
If we as the Body of Christ are going to show the world the love of Jesus, we have to first love each other with the Love of Jesus, for our Father maketh His sun to rise on the evil and good! What kind of God would He be if He only made the sun to rise on the good? That would show partiality toward His creation, if we are to be like our Heavenly Father, we must love like our Heavenly Father, Jesus said the world will know that you are mine by the love we show to one another and He showed us by example when He hung on the cross and prayed for His enemies while they were crucifying Him and the sad part about it is His death was for their benefit to.
I’m sure none of us has ever had to forgive someone you were crucified for, Jesus died for you and me and we were yet still His enemy, so if He can die for His enemies I’m sure we can pray for ours! That’s how you can love your enemy!
“You Can Be Free Today”
