Is Your Fruit Fresh Or Rotten?
Love your enemies. It’s such a hard thing to wrap our heads around. Our humanness wants us to think about how we could ever love our enemies. Yet if we are truly living with Christ inside of us, we should know that we are called to be different. Are you ready to indeed be different? It’s not enough to say you are ready. You have to be willing to show it in your actions and your words. We have to be willing to truly abide in the Father’s goodness, wisdom, and love. John 15:1-5“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” You see, my friends, he wants to change us from the inside out. He wants to take away all of our bitterness, hate, anger, and pain. But we have to be willing to let him. Are you ready to let him work within you? The choice is yours to make. What will you choose today?
What kind of fruit are you producing? Is it fruit that is pleasing to the eyes? Or are you producing rotten fruit that is full of bitterness and hatred towards anyone that’s offended or wronged you in any way? Part of being different includes loving everyone, even the ones that hurt us the most. This list includes family, friends, bosses, co-workers, people in the church. The list could go on and on. Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.” When we are stuck in anger, resentment, and unforgiveness, you see, my friends, that we aren’t capable of practicing the fruits of the spirit. Darkness is quickly taking roots inside our hearts and our souls. I don’t know about you, my friends, but I don’t want darkness to spread and grow inside of me. I want light, goodness, and love to grow, not darkness. What about you?
So I ask you, dear readers have you prayed for your enemies lately? Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” You see, when we pray for our enemies, we are handing the situation over to the Lord. We are saying, Father, this situation is more than me. I need your help. Father, this person or these people hurt me. I don’t want to hate them, but I’m struggling to show them love, kindness, mercy, and forgiveness right now. Will you please help me, Father? Then, my friends, you need to trust that he’s heard your prayer for help. Trust that he’s working on your behalf. Trust that his hands are all over the situation. Start to believe that you are not in this battle alone. So next time you feel offended, instead of going from zero to sixty, hit the pause button on the offense. Please try and take a deep breath and ask God why am I so hurt? Why do I feel so offended? Father, please remind me that we are all human. There has only ever been one perfect human, and it wasn’t me. It wasn’t you either. Do you know who it is? It’s Jesus.
When you don’t know how to love your enemies, turn to Jesus. Jesus is the perfect example of love. Jesus loves everyone. It doesn’t matter what you look like. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. Jesus loves you! Jesus loves so completely that he died and rose again for all of us. The Bible doesn’t say that he died for some of us. The Bible says that He died for all of us! Even when he was hanging on the cross, he cried out to the Father in his agony, and he begged the Father to forgive his murderers. Luke 23:34 “And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” You see, Jesus truly is the perfect example of pure untainted love. Will we ever love as purely and entirely as he loves. Sadly, we will always fall short, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try. We should never give up on love, and we should never give up on trying to forgive.
Suppose you’re still holding onto all of that anger, resentment, hate, and bitterness. You are not alone. So many of us struggle with letting go and letting God. I know I’ve struggled with it at times. Sometimes I still struggle with it. We have to remember that when we hold onto unhealthy thinking, it gives those thoughts strength and power over us. It gives them the space to wreak havoc in our lives. It permits them to steal our joy right out from underneath us. Stop being driven by unhealthy thoughts. Goodness and love are not in those thoughts. Those thoughts don’t come from the Father. They come from Satan. Stop letting Satan poison your mind, heart, and soul! There’s a better way, and that way is Jesus! Psalm 34:17 “When the righteous cry out for help, the Lord hears and delivers them from all their troubles.” Be confident in knowing that when you cry out to him, your prayers will be heard. He’s listening, and he is always working. You might not be able to see that he’s working for you, but he is.
Next time you feel anger and hate rising inside your heart, ask the Father to help you forgive. Instead of cursing, choose love. Romans 12:13 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” This world says an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but the Father says he will fight our battles. Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard it said,’ An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ‘But I say to you, Do not resist the evil one. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Don’t take the matter into your own hands. Don’t lash out in anger! It will only add fuel to the fire that’s already burning. Romans 12:17-19 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peacefully with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Trust that the Lord will bring the justice that he sees fit to your situation. He has the power to do it, and he is ready and willing to do it for you.
You might think that you could never love your enemies, but you can. You really can. If you have genuinely invited Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior, then lean on him. Trust that he will help you forgive even when you think you can’t. Trust that he will show you how to love when you don’t know how to. Trust that he is changing your heart moment-by-moment and day-by-day. Trust that he will give you the words to say. Trust that he will show you how to speak in love instead of in hate. Honestly, believe that you were called to be different for a reason and a purpose. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you will discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” He wants to change our minds and our hearts. These trials of dealing with evilness and offenses aren’t here to destroy us. No, my friends, they’re here so that we can learn how to truly dive in and dig into the Father’s love, guidance, wisdom, and truth. He has a plan and a purpose for us all; that purpose does not include hating your enemies. That purpose includes loving no matter what, even when it’s anything but easy.
Father today, I pray that people choose to love. Today I pray that people call on you to release them from the snares that bind them. I pray that they take a stand to tell Satan that he no longer has the power to hold them captive in unforgiveness. I pray that they call upon you and your name. I pray that they let go of anger. I pray that they let go of hate. I pray that they let go of bitterness and resentment. I pray that they dig deeper into you. I pray that they fully dive headfirst into your words. I pray that they ask you to fill them up with your strength and wisdom. I pray that all of our enemies would feel our love and that they would feel our forgiveness. I pray that it ignites a spark that would be the start of change within them. I pray that they will come to you seeking forgiveness for the wrongs that they have done. I pray that they would desire a heart change. The heart change that only comes from you. I pray that we never give up on our enemies because, you dear Father, never give up on us!
Author: Nadia M. Walker
Editor: JJ Michael Smith
God bless,
igotasavior
