If it is possible as far as it
depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear
friend, but leave room for God’s wrath; for it is written, “It is mine to avenge,
I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans
12:18-19
Have you been deeply hurt by someone? I
guess we all have at some point in our lives. How about revenge? Have you
thought about getting back at someone for what they have done? Is there a
hidden anger and bitterness, along with unforgiveness, left inside? God asks us
to bless our enemies. If they are hungry, we are to feed them. (Romans 12 and
Proverbs 25)
Our
God is full of justice, fairness and mercy. We may not understand why violence,
greed and pride appear to be thriving and why the loving and the meek of the world
are struggling. God knows. The battle is ultimately His. One day all will be
set right. His wrath is still to come and one day there will be a new heaven
and a new earth. In the meantime, He will fight and finish our battles. We can
pray and put on our protective spiritual gear. And remember, the battles we see
around us are spiritual in nature. It is not the people, but the ones who hold
them captive.
For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil
comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm the, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition, to all of this,
take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the
Spirit which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep
on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:12-18
God places His defensive armor all around
us, including the helmet on our head, the breastplate and shield in front of
us, His truth buckled safely around our waist, and shoes that walk in His
peace. The offensive weapons he gives us are His Word and our prayers. Pray for
all kinds of things and speak the Word of God. It drives the devil away!!
Loving our enemies may appear to be
impossible, but in Proverbs 25 and in Romans 12, God tells us it will be like
putting heaping coals on their heads. That sounds good to me sometimes. Forgive
me, Lord. Those heaping coals may bring a heat from the Lord to turn our enemies
to Him. And at the end of it all, that is what we would want for everyone. Take
your enemies to God in prayer. Let God take it from there. Vengeance and
justice are in His hands. Good outweighs evil and love covers a multitude of
sins.
Dear
Lord,
You ask
us to do what seems impossible. But with you, all things are possible. Change
our hearts today to trust You with our battles. We stand firm with the armor
around us.
In
Jesus name,
Amen
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