Praying For Your Enemies

Scripture

O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.

~Psalm 35:1, NLT

Quote

If the man who stands over my body says, “Here lies Dr. Lee and he didn’t have a single enemy.” I am going to raise up from my casket and point at him and say, “Sir, you are a liar.”

~ Robert G. Lee

This is one of David’s imprecatory Psalms which is rather mild compared to some of the others [ (Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140). In Psalm 137 David said, Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks! So this Psalm is rather soft compared to the others. David’s enemies were real, they were not imagined. I cannot think of one God fearing Old Testament character who didn’t have enemies. There are two extremes that we must avoid: [1] One is to become obsessed with the demise of our enemies and Saul would be your perfect example. Instead of doing his job, he spent his time chasing David and setting traps to catch him. Think of the positive things he could have done for others had he not been obsessed with hatred for David. Hatred is blind. [2] The opposite extreme is to believe that you don’t have any enemies. I’ve known folks, some very good folks, who were so enamored with their reputation and popularity, they actually believed that no one disliked them. Folks, we have to be realistic: the better you become, the more likely you are to have enemies. No one has more enemies than Jesus and it not because He is bad, it is because He is perfectly good. You had best open your eyes, there are people in this fallen world who don’t like CHRISTIANS. One of the first things I had to deal with is the prejudice against preachers: some folks don’t like preachers. I’ve been living here almost 40 years and I can give you a list of preacher haters but I’m not going to because some of them are your relatives. We had one in our family; he referred to me as the ‘Reverend’ but not in a tone of respect, he was mocking me.

There are definitely some things that we don’t need to do:

  1. We don’t need to focus on our enemies: our focus must be on Jesus. It is good to pray for your enemies but to be obsessed with their demise is not Christ like.
  2. We don’t need to worry and fret with our being vindicated. God is good and He is just. He, in His own time will deal with those who oppose Him. Remember, He has not vindicated His only begotten Son yet but He will. Make no mistake, Jesus will be vindicated and so will all of His followers.
  3. We don’t need to get even. A vindictive person becomes their own worse enemy. David did not do Saul in, Saul did himself in.
  4. Don’t over estimate the power of your enemies. David was slandered and slander is not an easy thing to deal with. It makes me angry when people lie about my character and activity. Slander is a Satanic tactic and it happens. You and I do not have the power to keep it from happening but we can’t allow it to become bait for the trap. Landrum Levell, who came to NOBTS as President just after I graduated, once said, “A horse fly cannot hurt a horse but it can get the horse so agitated and aggravated that the horse hurts itself.” One temper tantrum can get you fired. Every church has stink stirrers: they want to keep something going all the time. I am for confronting a liar but you cannot respond to every tad of gossip. Focus on your task, stay on track and don’t allow a barking dog to stop the train. God has called us to ministry, not to defend our reputation.

Melissa Klein

They’ve lost their business, been fined more than $135,000 and told they can’t share their faith, all for refusing to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.

“When we opened our bakery, we loved serving all customers, regardless of their identity or beliefs. My cakes were my canvas. I sketched and custom designed each cake to fit each couple perfectly, Melissa Klein told CBN News.

“My bakery wasn’t just called ‘Sweet Cakes Bakery.’ It was ‘Sweet Cakes by Melissa’ because I poured out my passion and heart into each cake I made. My faith is a part of that. Even though I’d happily served this couple in the past for another event, I couldn’t participate in a ceremony that violates my beliefs,” [continued below]

Here’s the thing: Melissa Klein and her husband Aaron have never had an official day in court — until today. Thursday, represented by First Liberty Institute, they appeared before the Oregon Court of Appeals.

First Liberty attorneys argued that the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) violated the Kleins’ constitutional rights to religious freedom, free speech, and due process.

“The government should never force someone to violate their conscience or their beliefs,” Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of First Liberty Institute, says. “In a diverse and pluralistic society, people of good will should be able to peacefully coexist with different beliefs. We hope the court will uphold the Kleins’ rights to free speech and religious liberty.” 

One of the persons responsible for their being fined did not win his seat for re-election. Folks, this is not happening in China or North Korea, this is happening the United States. Decision magazine reported that an Alberta, Canada couple were declined by a government adoption agency because of their biblical views on marriage and sexuality. Both cases are unbelievable.

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