Praying for Your Enemies

Most of us spend a great deal of effort to keep ourselves from vulnerable positions. We do this because if evil sees an opening, it will take full advantage of the situation. Whether it is your money, credit, identity, health, or safety, the corrupt are always looking to take the stolen upper hand.

Let’s say someone stole your identity, and the damage was substantial. Do you feel it is your duty to press charges so that the criminals do not steal from someone else? How would you feel if a fellow follower said you had to pray for your enemies and proceeded to ask God to bless them? Are they asking God for their success? What are they saying? Are they correct?
The context of Bible verses is very important. Once again, Satan will take full advantage of the ignorant and twist verses to pervert God’s character. We need to make sure that we are not participating in this behavior. To ask God to makes someone’s sin prosperous is absurd at best. God does allow free will acts to occur, but He has nothing to do with a sinful act at all. Sin is not in God’s will for us. (James 1:13) If someone has gained by any corrupt means, how can you ask God to bless them? Good grief, sisters and brothers, what are you asking or saying to others?
When we make a judgment call on our own, it is very easy to misinterpret the situation; that is why Christ-followers need to seek God for everything. Matthew 24 gives a clear warning that during the end times that if possible, deception will fall on His elect. It saddens me to see this event unfolding on many social media sites.
“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death,” 2 Corinthians 7:10.
The above verse is the only blessing you should ask from God for those practicing lawlessness. I should hope you desire that all evil be unsuccessful and rebound upon itself. We should always pray for salvation for others. I personally ask God to treat evil like He did in Exodus 14:13-27. I pray as in Exodus, when evil and God’s people were in the same circumstance, God’s people walked on dry ground and were protected by God. Evil, though, God, made their efforts difficult and their evil acts to miss their mark.
So yes, God, please bless all with a repentance that leads to salvation, but for evil, may it never gain ground or succeed in any form. Also, God, if a child of yours publicly misrepresents Your character by an out-of-context verse, then quicken them quickly so they can retract the presumptuous statement. You have done this for me, so I know Your Spirit is always faithful.
Photo by Srdjan Popovic on Unsplash

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