Pray When you Want to Fight
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Jan 28, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 17, 2023
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35)
When people act ugly, mature Christians pray instead of responding in a like manner.
In Luke 6:35, Jesus said we are to love our enemies, do good, and lend to them. How is that possible when some people are so antagonistic? Jesus explained when we do those things, we would be the children of the Highest. God sees people and situations from a higher level than the rest of the world, and we are called to see people and situations the way God sees them. That’s true spiritual vision.
When people act in ways that are ungodly, trying to abuse, hurt, or manipulate us, we must remember the reason they act that way is that they are being used by the enemy. What they really need is Jesus to change their heart and their lives. You can’t save them, and consequences of their actions will not always change them. Jesus is the only one who can redeem, set free, and heal the hurts that motivated them to hurt you. After all, hurt people hurt people.
You and I are called to be the physical demonstrations of the love of God in a hurt and dying world. It’s the goodness of God that leads men to repentance, not the judgement or anger or fear of God. If you want someone to change, you need to act like Jesus toward them. Do good to them, pray for them, and love them genuinely.
Practical Application
How can you sow love to someone today that you don’t feel like loving? Decide to be the hands and feet of Jesus while you display His love through your actions.
