As God Forgave You

If you claim to have no enemies, I would love to hear how you managed to get this far in life without having a single person oppose you. Surely at some time someone has envied you or tried to wreck your goals or interrupt your plans. And, the fact is, these things are what make someone your enemy.

Of course, every Christian faces an archenemy in Satan. Jesus tells us that he is the enemy who sows tare in our lives (see Matthew 13:39). Likewise, the apostle Peter warns us about Satan: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Jesus makes it clear that we having nothing to fear from the devil. Our Lord has given us all power and authority over Satan and his demonic forces: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Jesus clearly states that the battle with Satan has already been won and we have within us the power to resist any attempt by the devil to devour us.

We do have conflicts with human enemies sometimes, people we live with or work alongside. Perhaps a person has attacked you or smeared your reputation. The controversy causes you great distress and is even affecting your physical health.

You may protest to the Lord, “I’ll continue to praise and worship you, but don’t expect me to lay down this hurt.” But the Lord has clearly expressed, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). And Jesus says, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

We bring glory to our heavenly Father whenever we overlook hurts and forgive the sins done to us. When we forgive as God forgives, he brings us into a revelation of favor and blessing we have never known.