We live in a world filled with lots of evil. Due to the fall of the first man in the garden, the enemy gained the legal grounds to start oppressing mam. Not until Christ came and redeemed us, and restored back the lost mantle to us.
Yet, the effect of that fall is still evident. People have been turned against one another. People now tirelessly seek the downfall of each other. We know that this wasn't in God's original plan for mankind.
It is true that the world we currently live in is filled with cruelty and wickedness, and fellow humans are the major purveyors of such wickedness. But it is important to point out that as Christians, the people who are working against us are only vessels in the hands of the real enemy. Today, in our article titled "how to pray for your enemies", we will learn the right way to pray for these very people who we see as our adversaries.
The devil is the real enemy, according to 1 Peter 5:8, but every human who submits to him becomes his vessel through which he executes his wickedness.
The system of the world believes in retaliation; that anyone working against our downfall, we must also seek their own downfall. The world believes that you must pay evil for evil, eye for an eye. The world believes in avenging each other.
But as Believers in Jesus Christ, we are instructed in the Word of God to be different. How can we save the world if we are like the world? Vengeance is for God alone.
Our God relates with both good and evil people justly. The Bible says that He causes the sun to rise on both the good and the evil people of this world.
Matthew 5:43-45You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy; But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers.
How we respond to the evil that people do to us says a lot about us as Christians. It also determines whether or not we will get a reward from God.
In the holy scriptures, Christians are taught and instructed to not avenge their wrongdoers. The same holy Bible goes on to give us a picture of how God wants us to respond to offenses done against us by our supposed enemies.
Remember that God loves everyone. That being the case, He expects us who have seen the light to demonstrate the same towards others, not minding whether they are deserving of it or not.
Our God is a loving Father who loves unconditionally. He expects us His children to exhibit that same kind of love towards others.
We have been commanded to love our enemies the same way God loved us while we were still sinners.
Our Lord Jesus Christ who is our perfect example, also demonstrated that unconditional love by praying for the people who nailed Him to the Cross and made Him go through excruciating pain. Instead of cursing them, He prayed the Father forgives them for they do not know what they're doing (Luke 23:34). The same way, we should allow the love of God to flow through us even to our enemies.
1 Timothy 2:1,4 (AMP)First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] truth.
The Father's ultimate desire is for all humans (both good and evil) to be saved. He sent His Son to save everyone, not just a select few. Therefore, whenever you repay evil for evil, you are working against the will of God. Let the love of God flow through you to forgive your enemies and pray for them.
We were all sinners but Grace found us and delivered us from the hold of sin and Satan. We are not supposed to boast as though we were righteous. Jesus Christ commanded us to love God first and then love our neighbours as much as we love ourselves. He didn't give an exception in this command of love.
Our agape should be for everyone around us, not for who we choose to give it to. Regardless of the evil anyone has done to us, we should let it go and show them unconditional love.
In other words, we can't say we love God whom we cannot see, but we hate our neighbor whom we can see. The evidence of the love we have for God is our love for our friends and enemies.
Love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Any Believer who lacks love is not filled with the Spirit. One way our love for our enemies can be made manifest is in praying for them.
Standing in the gap in the place of prayer is a great gift you can give to any man. Prayer is a commandment. Praying for your enemies is you committing their hearts to God. We should pray for our enemies if we truly love them and if we want a transformation for them.
In the place of prayer, a heart of stone can be transformed into the heart of flesh. On the prayer altar, we can re-align the hearts of our supposed enemies to their Maker.
How Do You Pray For Your Enemies?
The Bible teaches us the best way we can go about praying for our enemies. The following is a scriptural guide on how we can pray for our enemies.
1. Pray For The Holy Spirit To Convict Them
This is a very crucial step in praying for one's enemies. The Holy Spirit is the Lord of the harvest. The Spirit of God searches and tries the hearts of men.
The Holy Spirit Himself knows how to relate with each and every individual with our individual differences. He knows how to speak to the heart of our enemies and make them realise that they are heading towards destruction.
The Holy Spirit can minister to our enemies and make them see that they're in darkness, thereby convicting them to return to God.
So, it is necessary for us to ask the Spirit of God to exert in influence on the hearts of our enemies, thereby leading to their conversion. This is because no man knows and understands the heart of men better than the Spirit of God.
2. Pray For God's Mercy Upon Your Enemies
When praying for our enemies, it is important to ask for God's mercy upon their lives. They have sinned and done a lot of evil things, but when God shows them mercy, their sins will become a thing of the past.
When your enemies obtain God's mercy, they will forsake their old ways and live a life that is pleasing unto God. Mercy has the ability to turn a hardened criminal into a rugged evangelist, who will go about doing exploits for God.
Don't write your enemies off. God is still in the business of transforming people.
3. Pray For God To Reveal His Loving Self To Them
This is another way to pray for our enemies. When they see the love of God, they will desire to come into the family of God. Whenever God reveals Himself to a man, that man can never remain the same.
God's love is overwhelming. If they can experience this love, they will desire to leave their wicked ways and turn to the One who loves them unconditionally.
The love of God has a way of restructuring the hearts of men and fashioning it the right way. When they understand how much God loves them, they will leave their wicked ways.
4. Pray That God Delivers Them From The Devil
Many of these people are under the oppression of the devil. The enemy had deceived and blinded them with false glory. They act under the influence of the devil's deception.
We should therefore pray to break the hold of the devil off their lives, so they can come to the light. When they are delivered from their oppressor, they will be able to boldly dissociate from darkness and come into the light.
5. Pray For God's Grace Upon Them
Grace is God in the race. The Grace of God will empower your enemies to live a life that pleases God and not return to their vomit.
No great man emerged in scripture without the work of the Grace of God upon them. God's Grace is divine empowerment to achieve a particular task. The Grace of God can beautify a man and make him achieve great things. Gods Grace will transform your enemies and go on to make them rooted in Christ.
Final Thoughts On Praying For Our Enemies
We are representatives of God on the earth. God expects us to extend the hand of fellowship and love to everyone, including our enemies.
Praying for our 'enemies' is not just to please God, but also a way to radiate the glory of God. Remember, God takes no pleasure in the death of any sinner (and that includes our enemies).
He is counting on us to forgive our enemies (just like He forgave us) and prayerfully rearrange their lives to please God.
Do not avenge yourselves because vengeance is for God alone. Also, don't give up praying God's will over your enemies, because love never gives up until it accomplishes its desire.
Consistently pray for your enemies and you shall enjoy peace and blessings from God.
Thanks again for reading.
