Day 25
"But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you"
Matthew 5:44
My Prayer
My Heavenly Father, when I read this verse nearly fifty years ago, I was shocked. I wondered what it could mean. To me, it could not mean what is said. Eventually I saw that the meaning was always clear. I did not want to see. I wanted to be a judge now, before Your appointed time (1 Corinthians 4:5, 6:2).
I am to humble myself as a child (Matthew 18:4). I should trust and obey, walk by the Spirit.
Jesus said "apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
Through prayer we hear and understand. Through prayer we have the power to obey. To hear and obey Your Spirit is to walk by the Spirit. To love an enemy is impossible as we walk in the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). But, as we walk in the Spirit, it is natural (Galatians 5:16,22).4.7
In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, You instructed Your people to pray for kings. Nero was emporer when 1 Timothy was written. Nero coated Christians with tar and set them on fire as human torches to provide light at his garden parties. How could Christians in that day pray for Nero?
Weak love for others is the problem. Weak love makes it difficult to love enemies, to bless those who curse me, to do good to those who hate me, to pray for those who mistreat me and persecute me. The remedy You have ordained for weak love is the Endorsed Prayer of Love.4.3e So, I pray the prayer that the apostle Paul prayed:
"I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more" (Philippians 1:9).
After I pray the Endorsed Prayer of Love, with faith and without doubt, You respond.4.2a Your Holy Spirit increases my love, by Your power, as I trust You for my obedience. Then I can love by the power of Your Holy Spirit within.3.4
After You have increased our love so that we are willing to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who mistreat us and persecute us, how shall we pray for our enemy? In other words...
After our love has grown so that we will pray for our persecutor, what shall we pray for our persecutor?
We pray the prayers You have given us... the Endorsed Prayers... the prayers that Your Son, the apostles and prophets prayed or instructed us to pray. These prayers reveal Your will.
If our persecutors are unbelievers, we
pray the Endorsed Prayers for Making Disciples.4.4 We bear the yoke of Christ and PASS the faith.4.9 We pray the Conversion Prayer Corridor.4.10 Then Your Holy Spirit preaches, speaks through us, provides words for
witnessing, convicts unbelievers of sin and warns. But You will allow them to resist Your Holy Spirit.3.3
If our persecutors are believers, we pray the Endorsed Prayers for Spiritual Communication4.2. Then Your Holy Spirit preaches, teaches, speaks through us, provides words for witnessing, testifies, reminds them of scripture, leads, warns, intercedes and speaks to them through their conscience.3.3 For believers, we also pray the Endorsed Prayers for Spiritual Needs.4.3 Then Your Holy Spirit provides power. Power to hope, comprehend, witness, guard the Gospel and do combat in the spiritual realm.3.4 But even with believers, You allow them to resist and lie to Your Holy Spirit.
So, My Lord, multiply our love and faith in us. Draw us to walk by the Spirit... all for Your glory and our good. Teach Your children to pray the Edorsed Prayers, so they may walk by the Spirit.
In this passage, Matthew 5:44, You told us to pray for our persecutors. You also revealed the need to pray one of the Endorsed Prayers... That prayer is "make our love abound more and more". Thank you for revealing these things in Your word! For, how can we walk by the Spirit, if we don't know what to pray and who to pray for?
Heavenly Father, teach us the prayers that scripture has taught us to pray. By Your Spirit, lead Your children to click this link: "How to Pray: Introduction to the Endorsed Prayers".
You deserve all praise!
Amen.
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You are reading the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional Series, which is subchapter 3.7 of the free, online book Fellowship with God in the Sixth Path. In the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional, readers learn how to how to walk by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is one way the New Testament describes fellowship with God, the subject of this online book.
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