{"id":2569,"date":"2026-04-13T15:33:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/michelehowewrites\/?p=2569"},"modified":"2026-04-13T21:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T02:43:52","slug":"god-calls-us-to-love-those-treat-us-as-enemies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/michelehowewrites\/2026\/04\/god-calls-us-to-love-those-treat-us-as-enemies\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Bible Says About Loving Your Enemies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

God Calls Us To Love Those Who Treat Us As Enemies<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"God
God Gives Amazing Grace To Forgive. | Image courtesy of Stock Snap.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Luke 6:27-31<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

How can you and I not be grateful for God\u2019s patience with us? He doesn\u2019t demand of us instant maturity. He doesn\u2019t require that we get it right quickly. He doesn\u2019t teach us a lesson just once. He comes to us in situation after situation, each controlled by his sovereign grace, each designed to be a tool of transformation, and he works on the same things again and again.<\/p>\n

Paul Tripp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

When someone offends us whether intentionally or not, God\u2019s word tells us how we should respond. In simple terms, we are to love our enemies (or those who sometimes behave as though they are our enemies). We are commanded to forgive. We are to go beyond merely being courteous and kind. As believers, we must do good to these difficult folks, bless them, pray for them, and treat them as we would want to be treated. And that\u2019s a high calling indeed.<\/p>\n

God Gives Us Supernatural Grace When It Matters Most<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is no greater power on earth than the supernatural, Holy Spirit-infused, grace-infused ability to love one\u2019s enemies. Regardless of how much we may disagree with others, our marching orders are to love, bless, pray, and serve those around us as the primary calling God has issued. When we experience the sting of rejection, unkindnesses, or anger from others who live and believe differently from ourselves, we as Christians have no other choice than to respond in love.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lord Gives Us Grace To Love Our Enemies<\/h2>\n

Difficult? Yes, but as we obey our Lord by offering grace-filled responses to those who are first-time enemies or those especially hard to love repeat offenders, God\u2019s enabling grace comes into play\u2026in our attitudes, our words, our actions<\/a>, and most importantly, within our own hearts. As we choose to honor God in these challenging life scenarios, not only will we be given grace from above, our hearts will soften toward those who oppose us\u2026and for that, we can be eternally grateful.<\/p>\n

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Take-away Action Thought<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When I am tempted to give vent to unrighteous anger, I will step away from the volatile situation and get to a quiet, solitary place to pray and seek the Lord\u2019s wisdom on how to respond. I\u2019ll take all the time it requires to calm down emotionally and I\u2019ll spend time reading through the book of Proverbs to help gain fresh insight on this troubling encounter.<\/p>\n

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My Heart\u2019s Cry to You, O Lord<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Father, I\u2019m so upset right now I can hardly focus on anything. I feel angry and frustrated with this situation because I cannot change or control it. Please help me to remember that you are in control over all things that happen in this world.<\/p>\n

Help me to place my confidence in you, not in the troubling circumstances in my world and in the world at large. You alone can change individuals\u2019 hearts and minds. Give me the wisdom and grace to accept that truth and to be content with doing my best to overcome evil with good by loving, blessing, and praying for those who are so difficult to love. Amen.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Practicing Grace and Gratitude<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Grace and gratitude from God<\/strong> \u2013 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you<\/em>. This week, I will spend time searching out Scripture verses found in the book of Proverbs about wise and godly living. I\u2019ll write down those verses that are especially pertinent and meaningful to me in this situation.<\/li>\n
  2. Grace and gratitude in me<\/strong> \u2013 Pray for those who mistreat you<\/em>. Each evening, I\u2019ll devote time specifically to pray for anyone (and everyone) that I am struggling to love and serve. I\u2019ll spend extra time praying for anyone I view as my enemy.<\/li>\n
  3. Grace and gratitude in life<\/strong> \u2013 Do to others as you would have them do to you<\/em>. Each day this week, I\u2019ll choose one difficult person in my life to serve and bless with a kind note of thanks or some sort of tangible gift to encourage them. I\u2019ll ask God to show me how I can communicate these individuals that I care for them deeply.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    God Calls Us To Love Those Who Treat Us As Enemies \u00a0 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5318,"featured_media":2578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[1306,1309,1312],"class_list":["post-2569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-devotion","tag-god-enables-us-to-forgive","tag-loving-our-enemies","tag-suffering-for-god"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat the Bible Says About Loving Your Enemies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When someone treats you like an enemy, how should you respond? 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