“I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. They repay me evil for good and oppose me” (Psalm 38:19-20). Do you ever feel the way David did here?
People speak against you for no reason, betray you, or try to keep you from success. Enemies are something each of us has to deal with in this life, and they can try us in every possible way.
Our natural response to enemies is often to fight back, get even, put them in their place, or demand justice. We can even find ourselves distressed as we try to figure out why they are against us in the first place. The next thing we know, it’s consuming all our thoughts and causing us torment.
When you obey Jesus and respond to your enemies with love, prayer, forgiveness and blessing, you take yourself out of satan’s line of fire and make room for God to handle justice as only He can. You don’t have to worry about your enemies. God says He will handle them on your behalf. How? Here are five ways God promises to deal with your enemies.
- He will bring everything hidden into the light. Enemies can be sneaky. They will say cutting remarks to you no one else notices, threaten you when others aren’t around, or try to quietly cheat you out of money, opportunities or relationships. Even so, there is One who sees everything that is done in secret, and He says, “Nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light” (Luke 8:17, NKJV). Next time you have an enemy coming against you, obey Luke 6:27-36, then pray Luke 8:17 and thank God that He will bring everything hidden into the light.
- He will avenge you. That desire you have for justice? That comes from the One in whose image you were created. He is the God of justice, and He loves justice. It’s good to want justice in the world, but when you try to get it for yourself, you’ve put yourself in His place. Romans 12:19 says, “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (ESV).
Under THE BLESSING, God has promised to deal with our enemies. Gloria Copeland says, “The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before your face. This is THE BLESSING; this belongs to you. They will come against you one way but flee before you seven ways. When you are under the curse, you run from your enemies, but under THE BLESSING, they run from you.” You may not see it firsthand, but you can count on Him to carry out what He has promised.
- He won’t let enemies succeed against you. Your greatest enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy. And he doesn’t work alone. He’ll use other people (even Christians) to carry out his plans. Sometimes, it even seems like those plans are succeeding. Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn” (NKJV).So, if you have people trying to sue you or harm you in some way, you just walk in love toward them, and stand on that scripture. Faith has no fear.
- He will prepare a table before you. When you’re walking in love and in obedience to God’s Word, no matter who comes against you, they can’t stop the blessings God has in store for you. Satan uses people to try and get us into offense. He knows if he can get us in strife and out of love, we’re out of position to receive the blessings of God. So, stay on the love line and don’t budge. No matter how much wrong is done to you, forgive, love and pray. Then, declare and receive His promise to prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies (Psalm 23:5).
- He will help you defeat the real enemy. At the end of the day, you might think your enemy is your co-worker, your neighbor or your mother-in-law, but the true enemy is the one pulling all the strings. Ephesians 6:12-13 tells us that we do not fight against flesh-and-blood enemies but against evil spirits. Most of us know this truth, but it takes a constant reminder when flesh and blood are right in front of us causing so much trouble! God has given you all authority over the enemy. So, when he tries to send people your way, rebuke him, send him packing, and remind him that he must go back where he belongs—under your feet!
These are five ways God promises to deal with our enemies. Remember, like any other promise, they require obedience on our part. If we are unforgiving and unloving toward our enemies, the promises are off the table. If we are worried, trying to take justice into our own hands, or gossiping about the situation—no deal. Stay in obedience, and let God deal with your enemies.
Watch Gloria Copeland and Billye Brim share how knowing your enemy will determine your victory.
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