Loving people God’s way means we choose to LOVE OUR ENEMIES.
Yes, you can do that.
No, it’s not impossible.
Loving our enemies is what sets us apart from the world, but it’s impossible to truly love them God’s way in our own power. It’s only possible if we are equipped with His Truth, His good grace, and the power of His Holy Spirit. It requires a deeper submission to Him by not just clinging to His Word, but also obeying His Word. That’s how we declare Him as Lord of our lives. When He is Lord, His love will flow through us.
Understanding our need for Him as Lord is the key to understanding how to love like Him. When we allow Him to take His rightful place on the throne of our lives, we are allowing His Holy Spirit to constantly love us God’s way, which in turn teaches us how to love others God’s way—even our enemies.
Let’s be real though. This is way easier said than done. Sometimes we have real resistance to this type of transition. Letting the Holy Spirit rule our lives feels like giving up control. And for good reason. That’s exactly what it is. There are many stubborn places within our own hearts and souls that are hard to let go of. We cling to them because they are habitual and comfortable—even if we know in our minds that God’s ways are better.
One practice I find helpful in these stubborn situations is to command my soul to bow down to God as Lord of my life. When my flesh says something different than His word or when I feel a rebellious resistance to following Him, I cry out to the Lord for help. I ask Him to remind me of the Truth. I ask Him to remind me that His ways are worth it. I ask Him to fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit so I can do what feels impossible on my own.
When the Lord reminds me of His command to love the people who have hurt me and betrayed me and abandoned me in my time of need, I sometimes crumble. When the Lord reminds me that I am called to be gentle and humble in heart with people who aren’t gentle with me, I sometimes cringe. Friends, this is REALLY HARD stuff. On our own, anyway.
But in this tension is where we get to experience the Truth of Scripture instead of just knowing the Truth. Making this shift of submitting our will to His truly delights Him. When I choose to submit to the ways of the Lord and extend love to my enemies, there is always redemption and never regret. When I choose to love like Jesus, He is lifted high. When I choose to love like Jesus, people see Him and not me. When I choose to love like Jesus, healing can happen—in me and my enemies.
Jesus chose to love ALL PEOPLE in His life and His death. Romans 5:8 says, “But God proves His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He died for the people who loved him then and the ones who love him today. He died for the people who crucified him then and the ones who crucify him today. Is there a better example in all of history of loving your enemies?
Friends, let’s be like Jesus and choose to love our enemies. We won’t do it perfectly, but we will do it with purpose, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, we can do that.