The Real Enemy

Love you all, praying for you,
 
Have you ever grown tired of the overwhelming evil around you?  Have you ever just had enough of those who seem to keep getting away with it?  Absolute lies and deception, and oppression?  Have you ever wanted God to just come back already and destroy all the evildoers?  (It will happen, of that you can be sure. (Nah 1:2-3)  As sure as He will save all those who call on Him, who repent of their sin and turn to Him.) (Acts 16:31)  But how should you think of those who get away with evil?  Who seem to live their whole life hurting and harming people, lying and stealing and oppressing others and getting away with it, never being held to account?   David struggled with the same thing.  He said, “Until I entered the sanctuary of the LORD, then I discerned their end.  Surely you place them on slippery ground, you cast them down to ruin.” (Ps 73:17-18) How did Jesus not hate those who hated Him for no reason?  He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Stephen as he was being stoned to death – for simply telling the truth about Jesus, and what He saw in the vision God revealed to him – said the same thing about the wicked hypocrites as they were murdering him… “Father, lay not this sin to their charge.” (Don’t hold this sin against them.)   How do you do that?  First, Remember what God did for you.  You used to be blinded just like they are.  And if it weren’t for the mercy of God to you… you would still be lost, blind, believing lies, thinking you were doing right, when in fact you were wrong, upside down but didn’t know it, ignorant of truth, devoid of life, thinking you were free, but fully enslaved – destined for destruction and separation from God for eternity – just like them.  If you remember what Jesus did for you, it will give you a different perspective of them.  Jesus told a parable of a man who owed a huge debt – tens of thousands of dollars.  A price he could not pay back – no matter how hard he worked.  The laws then were different from now.  You couldn’t cheat people, and just declare bankruptcy, you had to pay back what you owe.  Even if you had to work for them as a slave for the rest of your life.  They could even put you in prison – debtors prison until you paid back every penny, and how are you going to do that?  Yet this man’s master, (Every one in debt has a master, they are a slave to the lender), his master forgave him – of the entire debt!  Wiped it clean, he no longer owed a penny.  As he left with this life-crushing burden completely removed from him, he saw outside on the street a man who owed him $100 bucks.  He got so angry he grabbed him by the throat and demanded his money.  They told his master what this wicked servant had done.  The master enraged, called him in and demanded from him… “I forgave you all of that debt, and you could not forgive the one who owed you practically nothing?”  He called the Jailer and had the wicked servant locked away until he should pay back every single penny of what He owed.  Jesus said, “Forgive others, like God forgave you.”  The second thing that helps to love the un-loveable.  Realize they are just blinded.  They are just being deceived and controlled by your enemy, the real enemy.  It’s not them, they are just being deceived, it’s the devil.  He hates God, it’s not about you.  Even those who persecute you – if you see them as just sheep being completely deceived, and remember that you were just the same as them, you can see the real enemy.  Not people, our battle is not against flesh and blood, not other people, but principalities and powers, that are the kingdom of your enemy the devil.  Finally, ask God to see people like God sees them, with love and compassion.  If you see them not how they are acting towards you, in their self-righteous sin and rudeness, but see them as someone that God loves enough to send His Son to die for… just like He died for you…  God can give you a love for even someone that hates you, and is trying to harm you.  Remember, even in death the righteous have a refuge. (Pr 14:32)  And no matter what unkind or unjust thing someone has done to you, you would never wish hell on them.  People have no idea, they can’t even imagine or comprehend the horror of what hell really is.  What it is to be in outer darkness for all of eternity, with no light, and no love, no kindness, just hatred and blame, and torture, and darkness… where the heat is unbearable, the stench of sulfur is choking, where the maggots never die, the fire is never quenched, and the pain and torment do not end.  It never will, a place completely and utterly without hope.  Trust God, Love God, thank Him for His great mercy shown to you.  That’s where you were headed, until God revealed the truth to you, and believing in Jesus’ death on the cross for your sins - saved you.  Ask God to help you see others as He sees them, and love them like He loves them.  And you will be able to live ‘above the game’ you will be able to see and operate on a different level.  You will view this life through your ‘Kingdom of God’ lens, as the very temporary place that it is.  Life here is just a blink.  Life in eternity is forever – infinite – without end.  Praying that you will love God, hate sin, and love people, even the un-loveable.  Praying that God will help you see people and love people, even sinners, like God loves them.
 
Love you all,
dad