Only One Enemy

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

How easy we forget who are enemy really is. We only have ONE enemy.
God has been speaking to my heart so strongly about loving my enemies, praying for them, forgiving, not talking bad about people who hurt me. When I tried to love them in my own strength I failed everytime. When I chose to go to my friends first and complain and vent all my feelings it always made things worse. Why? Because I was hurting those people back by my words and keeping contempt in my heart against them. Then the time I went to God first, cried my eyes out to Him and told Him everything it always ends with Him showing me how I can change. Change my heart and attitude towards the situation and then in His strength, encouraged by His word, and led by His spirit I was able to overcome and the situation always works out and peace is restored. AND the best thing is no one got hurt in the process because I didn't hurt anyone with my words. Instead I covered them in prayer and in God's grace, mercy, and love.
As I wrote before that doesn't mean you have to open the door to let them hurt you again. Trust must be earned and we must guard our hearts. The Bible tells us to guard them.
It doesn't mean we have to let people walk all over us and take advantage of us.
However, if we are to truly be like Christ and be a light to the world then we must remember who are enemy really is. The Bible says that satan comes to steal, kill, & destory. He is the one who brings false accusations, lies, threats, thinks up evil plans against us, leads people into jealousy, hatred, and hardens their hearts. He is the one who tempts us with the things of the world and keeps us distracted from God.
The good news is WE HAVE THE VICTORY! Jesus already took care of it on the cross for us and defeated him when he rose from the dead. The devil is under our feet and we have the power to stand against Him as Christians and tell him to get lost! We can choose not to believe the lies and we can choose not to focus on what we see with our eyes. We can choose to trust in God, even when everything around us looks bleak, looks bad, ...we can not trust our eyes! We must look to God and trust what we can not see, in the future He has promised us, in the hope of His calling and future for our lives. Like Job we must remember that no matter what, God is still good and still on the throne. He has not forgotten us.
He loves all His children, those who choose to believe on Him and even those who are running away and hiding as Jonah did when he hid on the boat. He never stops loving us, never stops believing us. He has great faith in us. Thank goodness He does! He believes in me when I do not believe in myself.
He never gave up on me and He will never give up on any of us.
So, who are we to judge? Only God knows the heart. Even when Jonah was in the belly if the fish crying out to God, the fish was already taking him to Ninevah. The plan was already in motion :)

I pray we will all have God's grace, mercy, and strength to love those who hurt us. To forgive them and pray blessings for them. To stop back biting, gossip, and trying to get justice.

God is in control and He is one God and Father of us all.