We can be saved and filled with the spirit of God. We can also know that we will live in His kingdom forever; however, we can still be disconnected from the power source by not applying the word of God in our lives.

Jesus has an important message in Matthew 5:44: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Jesus gives us very specific instructions on how to handle those people who may come against you:

1. Love your enemy.
2. Bless whoever curses or comes against you.
3. Do good for those who hate you.
4. Pray for your enemies that use you or persecute you.

But how do we do this? We live in the natural world and our flesh urges us to react a certain way. We may get angry and lash out at our enemy, plot our revenge, or wish their evil to be repaid with evil. Sometimes we chose to avoid the person and keep our enemy out of our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

The only way we can follow the commandment of Jesus is to be connected to God’s power and His spirit of love. We need to allow God to help us through the situation and let the Holy Spirit guide us and our words. Just say, “Lord, I can do this (love my enemy), but I need you to show me how.”

For those of you who try to avoid your enemy, this isn’t always an option. These are often people we work with, go to school with, or unfortunately, the enemy may even be in our own homes. You must see your enemy as God saw each and everyone of us, lost without hope on the way to destruction. Your enemy needs your prayers, love, and kindness more than ever. Don’t judge so quickly. We don’t always know the situation our enemy is facing and why they feel the need to come against us. Ask the Holy Spirit for direction, follow His advice, and bless your enemy.

How can we bless others? We can bless them by praying blessings upon our enemies and extending our forgiveness to them. It can be difficult to want someone who isn’t so nice to receive blessings, but don’t forget that at one time, you too were unsaved and given forgiveness by your Heavenly Father even though you did not deserve it. How can we not forgive others when we ourselves have been forgiven for so much?

Ask God to help you forgive that person and then turn the situation over to Him.  God has it from there, and He will handle the situation. Remember that doing God’s will is not a feeling or emotion, but a willingness to obey God’s word. Think of the moments before you were saved that you may have acted in the same way toward someone else. At that time, you may have been hurting or so self-focused that you were unable to see your “enemy” for who they truly were. They may have been sent to help you in your time of need.

Remember to do good for those who hate you. By doing good, you give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to work on their hearts as well as helping you to become more Christ-like. Our ultimate goal is to become a man or woman who walks in love and in the word and not a person who walks in our feeling and emotions. We are doers of God’s word.

Remember that your actions and deeds are written in Heaven’s book. Treating others with love, patience, kindness and long suffering is the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). All of this is possible through us because we are called children of God and heirs to the kingdom of God with Christ.