Healing

Today I feel like the Lord has encouraged me to do this blog on the importance of your enemy in your life.  Read what it says in God’s Word in Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Loving people is so important in our spiritual lives, and that includes our enemies also.  How many times has God used a believer to help their enemy?  Remember, God can use anything or anyone to accomplish His purpose.  He may even speak through you to your enemy.  Jesus was a Jew but He brought the gospel to the Samaritans who were the enemies of the Jews and what about Paul when He went to the Gentiles with the good news?  You may think that God will never use you to win anyone, let alone an enemy, but if you will do you part by loving and praying for your enemies, you may be surprised at what the Lord might do through you.

Way back in the book of 2 Kings, there was a servant girl who was captured by the Syrians and taken from Israel.  Here is a girl that is taken from her family and friends and her home by her enemy and made a servant, but she decides to love and not hate, and this is how the Lord used her and what she did.  Read 2 Kings 5:1-5, “Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, ‘Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’ So Naaman went in and told his lord, ‘Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.’ And the king of Syria said, ‘Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.”

Naaman must have had some kind of mild leprosy at the time which eventually would have cost him his position and his family and even his life.  But instead of the servant girl rejoicing over this fact, she chose to forgive and love her master and try to get him to seek help.  This was the outcome of that experience and all because she loved and didn’t hold a grudge.  Read verses 6-14, “And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, ‘When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.’ And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.’ But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, ‘Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, ‘My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?’ So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

If you want to read the rest of the story you can read the rest of the chapter.

If it hadn’t been for this young girl’s decision to not be bitter and angry, this story would have turned out much different.  I know it is not easy to forgive our enemies but it is the only way that we will ever be set free.  Only when we make the choice to love and forgive others, even our enemies, the root of bitterness and anger and thoughts of revenge will be broken in our lives and we will be set free, praise the Lord!!  Remember this, when the Son sets you free you are free indeed!  When we are set free, then the Lord can use us to minister to others and help them, even our enemies.  This is a prayer you might use, ‘Lord I choose to forgive my enemies, please help me to love (the person’s name), thank you Lord, amen!!  This is the Lord’s will for you so why wouldn’t He help you to do what his will is for your life?  So, try it!

I have given you something to think about and may the good Lord bless you and yours with His perfect peace, love and joy and may you have a super nice day!!  God may use you to pray for your enemies and you may see them healed also, praise the Lord!!