Burning Coals

What is this burning coals business all about anyway?  It is all about loving and forgiving your enemies the way the Lord loved you and forgave you when you were His enemy.  Jesus set the example for us to follow by leading the way.

Think about this, before you became a believer did you treat the Lord like you do now?  How many times did you curse Him by taking His name in vain, to say nothing of your many other sins?  This reminds me of the Apostle Peter when he denied the Lord three times, even with cursing, but Peter found forgiveness in the end because of Christ’s love, mercy and unmerited favor.  

Psalms 7:11 says this, “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”  God’s judgment isn’t always withheld for the end of days, sometimes it happens today, and God at times, rescues the righteous from the snare of the wicked and many times He rescues the wicked from themselves and the evil one that has them in bondage.  That has a lot to do with the burning coals.

It says this in Romans 12:20-21, “Therefore, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

It isn’t easy to love your enemies, but we are commanded to do just that, there is no better way for your enemy to experience conviction through the Holy Spirit than to be loved by someone they hate.  Every day the Lord’s enemies are won by His love, mercy, grace and unmerited favor.

The Word says this in Romans 2:4 about repentance, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”  God is not willing that any be lost but that all come to repentance.  The only way that we became believers was because God, the Father, drew us to Jesus, His Son, who willingly gave His life for our sins when all of us were at one time His enemies, praise the Lord!  

In my study I came across a Psalm that David wrote that you can pray for your enemies, it is found in Psalms 6:1-10 which is one of David’s seven penitential psalms.  David humbly responds to God, possibly because of sin, we don’t know the circumstances but I think it could be used for a prayer to pray for our enemies.  Please read this and see what you think and remember this was in a day when people did hate their enemies. Psalms 6:1-10:

“O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,

Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;

O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

My soul also is greatly troubled;

But You, O Lord—how long?

Return, O Lord, deliver me!

Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!

For in death there is no remembrance of You;

In the grave who will give You thanks?

I am weary with my groaning;

All night I make my bed swim;

I drench my couch with my tears.

My eye wastes away because of grief;

It grows old because of all my enemies.

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;

For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my supplication;

The Lord will receive my prayer.

Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;

Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.”

Just like David poured out his heart to the Lord, we can do the same thing for God loves us and our enemies, but when you do, try to have your enemy’s best interest in mind and never take revenge, let God take care of the outcome, He will do what is best for all parties.  Just pray for and treat your enemies with respect out of love, and God will do the rest.  Just keep throwing burning coals on your enemies using kindness, so that they will be ashamed and repent.  

I hope this Tidbit has been an encouragement and help, something you will think about and put into practice, if you find yourself harassed by an enemy.  May God bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!