Pray for your enemies

Praying for your enemies is completely contradictory to our human nature. The way of the world is an eye for an eye, and get them worse then they got you. I certainly fell into this trap. I would often waste valuable time thinking over past events and thinking what I would say or do to this person in order to get even. I never actually did any of these things, just made myself angry and stressed for no good reason. Getting even with those who wronged you is a waste of time. People are not going to like you no matter what. There will always be evil people in this world who will try to hurt others. Trying to get even with them, lowers you to their level, and you loose the good aspects about yourself in the process. That person essentially wins either way. It is best to eliminate these people from your life and keep moving forward. This is good advise for both Christians and non-Christians alike. However, getting these people out of your life, is often easier said than done. They may be family members, co-workers, a neighbor, you name it. These people can be very detrimental to your life. The bible is clear about how to deal with such people.

Matthew 5

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

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;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Romans 12

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

I held onto grudges with people for the longest time, unable to let things go and move on. This caused great amounts of problems in my life and was a constant distraction in the back of my mind. I sought answers for this in the word of god. It's funny how the word always seems to have the answers. I decided that I would begin praying for my enemies. I sat down and made a list of several names of people who really bothered me and had unresolved issues with. I made a commitment to myself that I would begin praying blessings over these people every day. Since I have been doing this I noticed the way I feel about these people has changed. When I pray, I have positive feelings for them and want the best for them. Also, through out my day I think less about them, and have a much more positive and happy demeanor. This has brought me so much peace that I was looking for. My life seemed so hopeless and out of my control, and now my future feels bright.

If you are dealing with difficult people every day then pray for them. Eventually their attitude toward you may change. This is not a guarantee, but it is definitely worth a shot. Many Christians have reported there lives changing after applying this principle, and have seen massive changes in people who once made their lives difficult. So, please consider this for your own life when dealing with your enemies. Thank you for for reading my blog and I will leave you with the Gospel.

I Corinthians 15

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: