Skip to main content

Praying for Our Enemies

Date - January 6th, 2021

Topic - Praying for Our Enemies

Bible Text - [Jesus said,] “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.”Matthew 5:43-45


There are times when others will misunderstand, mistreat, or persecute us, and it’s hard not to respond to such treatment by retaliating or rejecting those who act that way toward us. That would be the way the unredeemed world naturally reacts. But Jesus says in these verses that we are to offer a radically different response: we are to love and pray for our enemies; in other words, we are to respond with the energy of prayer instead of the energy of hate.

This approach upholds a basic foundation of our faith—that God is love, that his love is for all people, whether friend or foe toward us, and that he desires that not one would perish but that all would come to eternal life. When we pray for our enemies, we are not only partnering with Christ in his redemptive purposes but also becoming more like our Father in heaven. 

Ask God to give you a specific Scripture verse to pray for your “enemies” whenever they come to mind. Instead of dwelling on a negative thought about them, displace the negative thought. Praying God’s heart for someone will soon produce a reflection of his love in your own.



PRAYER
• LORD, please fill my heart with compassion for [insert name(s)]. Help me to pray for these people and to bless, not curse, them. I can do this only as I look to you as my example. 

• Thank you for dying on the cross for me so that I could be reconciled to the Father. Let my heart respond to my enemies, even as your heart was poured out on their behalf.

INSIGHT
Never cease loving a person and never give up hope for him, for even the Prodigal Son who had fallen most low could still be saved. The bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle again.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NEITHER HEIGHT NOR DEPTH

Date - December 28th, 2021 Topic - NEITHER HEIGHT NOR DEPTH Bible Text - For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39 Your parents love you. You may be able to do something that makes them angry, but you will never be able to do anything that makes them stop loving you. Try to imagine this kind of love and then multiply it by infinity. That’s the love that Jesus has for you. That’s the love that God has for you. God made you. He loved you enough to create you. He loved you enough to give you free will. Then he loved you enough to give you his Son. He loved you enough to forgive you for turning away from him. This is an impossible love! This is a love that we may never understand. But we don’t have to understand it. We just have to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

He’s Coming Back

DATE - March 7th, 2022 TOPIC - He’s Coming Back BIBLE TEXT - [Jesus said,] “Since you don’t know when [these things] will happen, stay alert and keep watch. The coming of the Son of Man can be compared with that of a man who left home to go on a trip. He gave each of his employees instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. So keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when the homeowner will return— at evening, midnight, early dawn, or late daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.” - Mark 13:33-36 Christ compared his return with that of a businessman who went on a trip. The businessman left specific instructions on how to take care of matters while he was away. It was clear that this was a task for which he would hold the employees accountable. He instructed them to watch for his return, though they were not sure what hour or moment he would arrive. We must watch and pray brethren for ...
Post a Comment
Read more

AMBASSADORS

JULY 7TH – CAPSULE 7  TOPIC: AMBASSADORS  BIBLE TEXT: 2 Corinthians 5vs20 – We are ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador holds a position of great honour and responsibility. You have to know the mind of your king and represent his interests only. Someone who gives his own opinions would never qualify. Often kings would recall ambassadors after only two or three years. They were afraid that if they stayed in another country too long, they would become more concerned with that country’s interest than those of their own king. We too must guard our hearts from becoming more attuned to the interests of this present age than to those of Christ. Paul writes, “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4vs10). It can happen easily; Demas was seduced by things, and lured away by the appeal of the world. The Lord doesn’t change His ambassadors every few years, you have a lifetime commission. Therefore, you must be careful to keep your mind and heart ...
Post a Comment
Read more