We are children of God. God commands us to love our enemies. Taking vengeance on those who wrong us is normal natural human attitude. As Christians, loving our enemies, serves as one of the most powerful witnessing tools. God calls us to be salt and light, to stand out in the crowd displaying Christ-like love in today’s hatred filled cruel world.
Sometimes even our family members can act as an enemy. When they do sin and do wrong to us with a cause or without cause, as a mere normal human being we don’t get good vibes to allow them to be around us because they always trouble or abuse us one or other way or they can hurt repeatedly by their behavior or actions or through their words because of their evil and wickedness and unrepentant heart. There are lots of enemies in our society. These people can be found in the family cycle, among friends, coworkers, churches, among religious people, neighbors, relatives etc. A person who operates in envy and jealousy can easily be used, to carry out satanic assignment (Prov 6:34). The Bible also says, by their fruits, you shall know them (Matt 7:16). These evil people are the children of devil who operate with the support of satanic powers to steal, kill and destroy us or our life or families or future.
There are hidden enemies or Household enemies around us we have to be watchful, they love us, they eat with us, they laugh and cry with us, they even behave like they are God-sent people, but spiritually, they are killing us. Matthew 10:16: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. They disguise themselves as good people outward and they know every detail about us. But they wait for an opportunity to try to bring us down, through false accusations as a result of envy and jealousy. Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, who ate, sang, danced, healed, preached together with Jesus Christ, later he betrayed Jesus Christ and handed him over to his enemies by voluntary decision.
Jesus loved everyone. When Judas came to betray the Lord, He called him “friend.” When evil men nailed Jesus Christ to the cross, He asked His Father to “forgive them. The Lord sets our example to follow. He loved His enemies. Jesus never condemned anyone; He came to save sinners (John 3:17).
Now how do we identify our enemy?
Our enemy can be a family member, neighbor, coworker, fellow citizen, or government representative, or anyone who does not like us or hate us without a cause.
1. Anyone who curses or speaks evil of us can be our enemy (Mt 5:44, Luke 6:28)
2. An enemy is the one who hates us for some or another thing and who has some kind of reason to despise us. Some may even don’t have any reason to hate us. It could be the religious purpose, racial, political, or any personal reasons John15:18-19.
3. Any enemy can be anyone who spitefully uses us or takes advantage of our goodness, innocence, compassionate heart, kindness, or our generosity. An enemy is the one who treats us despitefully, falsely accuses us, kills our characters, spread rumors and gossips about us, talk evil behind us, who insults, condemns us, mocks at us, slander us. They are lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unthankful, heartless, unappeasable, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure, cowardly, angry people, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, some even appear to be godly but they are operating under religious demonic spirits who also pronounces curses upon us for all the good we do to them. These enemies are evil and wicked by nature controlled by demonic spirits. They constantly bring tears and hurt their victims repeatedly, they break their hearts all the time. (2Timothy3:1-5, Revelation21:8)
These enemies sometimes disguise themselves as family members and relatives, friends or religious holy people just as Satan “disguises himself as an angel of light in 2 Corinthians 11:14–15.
Jesus Christ was also betrayed and forsaken by his own disciples. He took blasphemous false accusations from the world, Jesus was despised and rejected by men
He was betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus received blasphemous false accusations from the world. He was denied, abandoned, mocked, was arrested, and bound. He was rejected by his own hometown and was asked deceitful questions. He was ridiculed by his own family members, he was blindfolded, beaten Struck with blows, was arrested, wounded, bruised unaccompanied by his accusers. He was falsely charged, chastised, endured stripes, oppressed, led to the slaughter Cut off from the land of the living, he was abused by the Roman soldiers. He was scourged, put on a crown of thorns on his head, a reed in His right hand struck Him on the head with the reed. The soldiers stripped him and divided His garments, nailed on the cross He bore his own cross and was crucified. The chief priests with the scribes mocked and sneered at him.
4. Any enemy can be anyone who mistreats us in any way like they did to Jesus Christ in Mathew 27:27-30.
5. Any enemy could be anyone who persecutes you and pursues with repeated enmity as described in Mathew 5:44.
Why God wants us to love our enemies?
1. God wants us to love our enemies because he wants us to follow the example of Christ, to be sons of our Eternal Father in heaven (Mathew 5:45-48).
2. He wants us to be kind to the evil and unthankful men (Luke 6:35-36, Romans 5:8-10, Colo 1:21) .
3. He doesn’t want us to be like those unrepentant cruel-hearted sinners. He wants us to be partakers of divine nature (2 Peter1:4)
Even God is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. He gives chances to everyone to turn away from their sins through genuine repentance. God makes his Sunrise on the evil and on the good and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust. God wants us to extend the grace towards evil people so that our true love can transform them and make them a child of God because as it says in Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
4. When our enemy is hungry, we are supposed to feed them as it says in Romans 12:20.
5. God wants us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us as it says in Luke 6:27.
6. God wants us to help our enemies as it stated in Exodus 23:4.
7. We are to love our enemy by blessing them as commanded by Jesus, Paul, and Peter in Mathew 5:44, 1peter 3:9, Romans 12:14)
8. God wants us to pray for them (Luke6:28). Jesus modeled unconditional love at the cross. His enemies were driving spikes into his flesh. And he prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Jesus says to love your enemies and pray for them “so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:45).
