Matthew 5:44-45 (NASB) 44“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;
Tough pill to swallow? I’m making reference to the scripture text. This command is Jesus’s correcting the current interpretation of the law. No longer can it be interpreted as being the people you think you can find it in your heart to forgive, this is with your outright no holds barred, total enemy! The person that has offended you most, taken away what was most precious to you and been pure evil in your opinion- your enemy! It does however, include the one you feel is just miserable to be with, in any setting and anyone you’d rather put out of your favorable people column. These are the ones for whom we are commanded to love and pray in the same way as we pray for those whom we find most favorable.
Upon pondering this reality throughout life, I had never quite come upon the thought I am about to share until I was dealing with someone very dear to my heart, but who, nonetheless in the moment, seemed to fall into the “enemy” category. Like banging my head on a wall, I had relentlessly tried educating this loved one to no avail. There in the moment of pure anger and frustration, God tapped my shoulder with a profound truth- “you’re playing right into the devil’s hand.” I stopped dead in my tracks and felt a holy hush come over my entire being and like my head was spinning out of control, I turned my anger to the “real” enemy, the devil. I took authority over him and my own mind and realized who I was really battling. Moments later, my husband too began to fall prey to the very same battle and I shared with him this insight. Ephesians 6:11-12 (NASB) 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
It is odd how we operate in life when we feel threatened. We take our counter attack stance and stand with resolve, “I’ll not be beaten,” only to find, that is exactly what just happened. Scripture tells us Proverbs 16:18 (KJV) 18Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Yet we just barrel in headlong on many occasions, certain we know the enemy and we’re gonna pulverize the menace and win this thing once and for all, only to find we’ve insulted the wrong person, burned bridges we would later need to finish our lives strong, destroyed our testimony and on and on….
Oh that we could learn, when we take the matters of our lives into our own hands we are fighting in an unfair match. The enemy of our souls has us out matched and out witted if we ignore God’s mandates, protocol, and the leadership of His spirit. It’s almost as if sometimes we pause, turn to God and say, “here, that’s okay, I’ve got this one.” But all we’ve got, if we take that attitude, is one more important lesson to learn & perhaps a lap full of disaster! Oh that we could see how the devil is prodding and poking to initiate conflict, hard feelings and heartbreak. He, when he uses your enemies, is hoping you’ll “slap the fire out of ‘em” or “blast ‘em with a piece o’ your mind.” ‘Cause the devil doesn’t just hate YOU- he hates the person he’s using to serve as your perceived enemy. The true enemy is not the one who might go to hell for a life of sin; the true enemy is the devil and sin itself. If we fight people, we just help the devil destroy more of us with more widespread damage than if we loved our enemies and prayed for them. After all, if only one of you in the mix sins and the other intercedes, the devil only accomplishes part of his plan and you set God’s plans in motion by your intercessory prayer, putting a quicker end to the devil’s success in you and your enemy.
Look at it this way, if your enemy doesn’t succeed in the devil’s plans against you, the devil doesn’t succeed in the plans to destroy your enemy quite so well either. Pray for your enemy till God declares the battle for his soul over, because he too is a victim of evil, though momentarily, a tool of it as well. Don’t you want others to pray for you when you stumble and hurt them? God is so good, your former enemy might one day become your best friend and your ally in working for God. Wouldn’t that be backfiring on the devil?! And by seeking God in your battle through intercession you may find the cause of the conflict involves issues God is working on in YOU as well, which will make you very glad you just loved & prayed.
© Dianne Dunnagan 2011 All Rights Reserved
