Respectful to the Enemy || How Do I Do This? || Part 4

How many of you have experienced the transformative power of accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? How many of you have committed to living a life of repentance, knowing that it leads to a new, purposeful life? How many of you believe that the only path to heaven is through Jesus? If you have, it’s a testament to the hope and inspiration that Jesus brings. If you haven’t, no worries. The Bible says you need to say that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and turn away from your sinful lifestyle into the one God has created for you. If you’re interested in doing so, this series will help you.

Once you make the decision, you may feel like nothing has changed. Your next question may be, “What’s next?” or “What now?” That’s what I intend to answer in this series. Over the following four parts, we’ll examine the new things you will do with the Holy Spirit inside your heart. I hope you enjoy this series. I’m simply calling it “Now What?”

Today marks part four of a five-part mini-series within this series. We will explore Romans 12:6-21 to understand the gifts within us, how to be kind to others, how to be hospitable, how to treat others with respect, and the essence of Christian living. This mini-series is titled “How Do I Do This?” and I hope it fills you with anticipation and joy as we uncover the unique gifts God has bestowed upon each of us.

Romans 12:14-16

14           Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

15           Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.

16           Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Many people exploit their community and relationships for selfish gains. They form relationships for social media fame or trends, or to climb the corporate ladder. They create a false persona online, rather than working on the original identity that God intended for them. Jesus taught us to treat all people with respect – those of a different race, those with disabilities, those with different sexual orientations, those with different gender identities, those with different wealth statuses, those of different ages or from different generations, and so on. We must never consider ourselves superior to others. This only reveals our pride, ego, and the belief that ‘I am better than you.’ Jesus’ teaching was about the first being last and the last being first, focusing on serving others and paying attention to their needs. Pride cannot be our guiding force when we do this. Paul encourages his audience and us to live in harmony and not be too proud to be in a community with those around us. Harmony is the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole. It’s the idea of blending two things to create a new thing that works regularly. It’s two people from different backgrounds forming a friendship or a romantic relationship together in unity.

Jesus showed us what that harmony can look like in Matthew 5:44. I’m also providing verse 43 for context.

Matthew 5:43-44

43           “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

44           But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

By telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we overcome evil with good. I’ve often said that positivity kills off negativity. Dealing with our enemies is a whole new can of worms, though. Still, through God’s supernatural ability, we can love those who can commit evil and cruel acts. The Pharisees even looked at this at face value. They thought they should love those who love them back.

Leviticus 19:18

18           “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

They also thought they needed to hate their enemies, as told here:

Psalm 139:19-22, 140:9-11

Psalm 139:19-22           O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.

Psalm 140:9-11              Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me. Let burning coals fall down on their heads. Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape. Don’t let liars prosper here in our land. Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. We should treat them how we’d want to be treated, regardless of what they did to us. If you share that love that Jesus shares with your enemies, you are showing them the true nature of Jesus and that Jesus is the guide to your life. To do this, we must entirely give ourselves to God because only he can deliver us from our natural ego. We must let the Holy Spirit help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. When I was in the middle of my sextortion stuff, some people turned into enemies (maybe that’s a strong word, but they weren’t on my side). Some people were being manipulated into my enemies.

Yet, I remained as peaceful as possible. Even though my mental state was crumbling, God’s peace took over. Even though my frustrations grew daily, God’s peace took over. I said through it all that God’s peace will take over and that his justice will be served at the end of the day. It took a lot of patience, but God was there every step. I remained professional (as often as I could). I remained respectful. I remained optimistic, even though things looked bleak. God took over. I had others that were madder and more frustrated than I was, which I found interesting. Others told me what they did was wrong and that I should just quit, but I didn’t. God and I developed the plan, and we walked it through together. I could love my enemies and pray for those who sought to take me down. I hope my story can be an inspiration for you.

In the next part, we will wrap up this mini-series by learning the foundations of Christian living. Stay blessed!