“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35

We all have some kind of enemy in our lives. Whether it’s the girl or guy that stole your high school sweetheart away from you, to the boss that you let you for a younger employee with less experience in the business. Sometimes it is even a neighbor whose lawn looks better than yours! An enemy doesn’t mean that you want to start a war with them. They are the people you feel resentment or even envy towards.

It’s hard not hating people sometimes. We feel entitled to a certain degree of respect, and other just don’t get that. Especially in school or the workplace. There is probably going to always be that person who scratches at your nerves constantly; but you cannot hate them. God tells us to love our enemies.

He loves every being, no matter the size of their wrongdoings. He doesn’t like it when someone antagonizes you! But He also doesn’t like it when his children hate each other either. The golden rule of loving your neighbor as yourself comes into play here..

“The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” -Mark 12:31

We need to realize that hate is the BAD type of four letter word. It is the antagonist while love is the protagonist. Make love your hero! Without love we wouldn’t have even been born. It doesn’t mean you have to hug that person and be overly friendly. Just rid yourself of resentment. And don’t forget to pray! Tell God your troubles and ask that peace be settled over your heart.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Most people think love is complicated and cannot be defined; but God lays it out for us His Word. Of course there are different types of love, such as the love you have for a friend, family member, and partner. But the general meaning of it is right there. It NEVER fails, but always perseveres. As being a part of the body of Christ we should strive to do as our Father asks and does Himself. It won’t be easy, but being a Christian isn’t easy. There are always antagonists who are going to try to put us down; but it is our duty to push past the evil against us and fight for our Lord – with love.

We cannot possibly count all of the moments when we’ve felt alone in this world. Our hearts have ached while our tears seemed to bounce off of empty walls. There was a pit in our stomachs, and sometimes we couldn’t really figure out why. To be frank, it really sucks feeling that way. Yet we all do, and more than once in our lifetimes.

Sometimes we get comfort knowing that others have gone through the same situations as us, while other times we think that no one has experienced the turmoil we are going through. It is true that all situations are different because every individual is different; but it doesn’t mean your situation is understood or sympathized with.

God is our best supporter when we’re struggling. Just because He’s is in heaven it doesn’t mean He isn’t here too. He is omnipotent and omniscient which means He is with us always, no matter where we are, and He knows what we’re going through. When everyone else’s door is closed to you, His will be open. He is always open to us; though sometimes we feel He is far away, He really isn’t.

Just because we can’t see Him doesn’t mean He isn’t there. When you go to bed tonight do you believe you’ll wake up in the morning? Why? You can’t see tomorrow, so why do you believe it is there? It’s just something to consider when you’re having doubts. God is always available; He never changes His mind that.

In our toughest times we are held up by God. The fact that we are alive when we feel beaten down is a blessing. He is our hope, even though sometimes we don’t see it that way. We are given grace and mercy under His love, and He makes sure to let us know throughout His Word.

The next time you feel discouraged turn your head to the Father. He is with you always, and is waiting for you call on His aid. He loves us more than any human ever could, including our earthly parents. Just imagining a love like that is still beyond our complete comprehension, but it is there and it is strong. We are safe and well in God’s arm; just don’t let others tell you otherwise and keep your head towards the hope, love, peace, and beauty of heaven.

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” -Deuteronomy 5:16

The above verse isn’t just for little children and teenagers, it applies to people of all ages and backgrounds. Honoring is a form of respect. Today we are yelling at our predecessors for being the reasons we aren’t happy, when in fact it is our own fault. We are blinded to the fact that we make our own happiness. Even if someone does something against you, you can find the good side of the situation.

We need to practice respect in our daily lives. It starts in the home, and we build ourselves on it so that we can function in society. If you didn’t at least act respectful to your boss, you’d surely be fired. Of course there may be some people whose ideas are against your own, but you should be able to respect the fact they are individuals.

God respects us by giving us the ability to choose what path we go down and what steps we take from there and how we take them. We forget to thank Him for that sometimes, which is disrespectful. Can you imagine disrespecting Him? It isn’t usually on purpose, but we disrespect God many times throughout the week. We’ll pass by someone struggling and not give a second glance. Is that right? They’re God’s children too, and we could have been that helping hand that God put in their path while they were suffering.

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.”

-Proverbs 1:8-9

“Respecting your parents or guardians is the first step; and you can only grow from there. It comes in many different forms throughout our lives. Whether it be smiling back at the checker in line at the grocery when it is apparent they are having a bad day, to respecting the person who is against you in your beliefs and tells you God doesn’t exist. That is a huge smack in the face for Christians, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. “Respectfully” disagree if you find yourself in that situation even; but never let go and let anger or some other negative action or emotion get the best of you.”

And just a few final thoughts on this matter: if you give respect you can expect that some of it be returned. As long as you are respectful there is no need for someone to be disrespectful towards you. Of course, it comes along in life anyway but you are the better for not giving into that bad behavior. So keep in mind that respect is an essential part of functioning in society. As both a “regular” person, and a Christian.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Deuteronomy 31:6

You are a child fearing the consequences of accidentally breaking one of your grandmother’s figurines. You are a teenager afraid of your teacher’s phone call home about your bad behavior and failing grades. You are the scared adult trying to figure out how you’re going to pay the car payment after being out of work for at least a month. You are the grandparent fearing you won’t see your grandchild’s graduation or wedding day.

Those are just a few of the fears we have as we go through life. We never really know what the next day will bring. We have our hopes; but along with them come the fear that they won’t be reached. It’s an epidemic in all our lives that we can’t escape from. There is no vaccine to prevent it; but there is an antidote. We just happen to overlook it a lot of the time. What is the antidote? God. He tells us many times in His Word that we should not be afraid. “Should” being a key term. He recognizes that we will have our moments when we are. It is only natural, and that is why He makes so many attempts to comfort us.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” -Psalm 27:1

What do you fear, really? Usually we can make a whole list of things, and even add a cause and effect that extends to many other fears all resulting in one thing. That one thing generally being death. Why are you afraid that you can’t pay the bills? Because you’d lose everything. If you lost everything you could potentially starve or get extremely ill and have no means to get better. If you don’t get better or do starve then you die.

We need to be confident. Fear shouldn’t be the word that drives us or outlines our day.. When you are afraid pray that peace be settled over our hearts. Often times we just get lost when we’re afraid. We become paralyzed or completely unfocused when in the midst of one of our biggest fears, or a fear that has caught us off guard. Like when you get a phone call that your child has had an accident at school and was sent to the hospital. You get so worried that you can’t find your keys. Finally you’ll realize they’re right in front of you.

God is our stronghold and peace in times when you are afraid. Life is compass whose direction is always changing. We can’t know what tomorrow brings, but we can pray for that sense of peace that will keep us from fearing tomorrow and give us the excitement and drive we need to make it a good day!

Being human, it is only natural that we stress over certain things. Whether it be school, work, family, friends, relationships, etc., there is always some kind of worry weighing us down. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we have someone amazing on our side, at all times. When we struggle we feel alone; but it isn’t true. We are always with the Father, whether at home or in the grocery store, He is there.

Often times we just need to sit back, take a breath, and pray. The bills have gone unpaid before, right? Or were late? You survived that time didn’t you? You’ll make it through this time; that’s a promise we’re given. God tells us in His Word that we shouldn’t let all these earthly things make us unhappy. Live in Him and be free of the depression we’re inflicted with when get lost in stress; and don’t forget to be thankful! We don’t get through the tough times without a little relief, and relief usually comes through some kind of blessings, which are a product of God’s love for us.

Always try to look at the positives of every situation to help you get through it. Bad breakup? If it ended badly it only means that the relationship would have been worse. There are many things that go “wrong” in our lives, but it doesn’t mean it has to rule us. We’re straying from the narrow path God has worked out specifically for us when we get caught up in the world. Most of our anxieties come from selfish desires and material things. That is wrong; we are God’s children and should be focused on His will for our lives. We are truly precious to Him. He doesn’t want to see us suffer, but be happy instead.

Also, we need to continue to pray. It really can’t be stressed enough how important prayer is for not only us, but God as well. It’s a time to vent all of our fears and troubles. He’s like a therapist, only better. We get the tools we need to survive through His Word and blessings, while still making our own decisions. Physically we do it on our own, but spiritually we’ve got a guide and stronghold that has kept us together and continually going. We don’t have to worry about who we’ve talked to either! There are no files that someone could potentially get their hands on. It’s one-on-one with God, who loves us unconditionally. It doesn’t matter to Him what has caused your pain, but instead, what will fix it. He feels the same emotions we do when suffering. We are, after all, a part of Him.

So stick those little black holes dug deep into our waning souls down the garbage shoot and take a dose of God’s peace! It is the healthiest and quickest way to happiness while we’re on this earth, awaiting the time when we’re called back to our Father’s side.

In Hebrews 13:4 it says” Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” There are so many people that get married and then get a divorce. Part of this is because of it becoming defiled with lust and other things that are sinful. When two people marry they should be seeking Gods help and making sure that the marriage continues to hold its honor. It does not just happen in the bed. Couples can start to disrespect each other or not show how grateful they are for one another. When this happens the bed can easily become defiled and other things might happen as a result, woe to them if they have children and bring them in the midst of this.

Show respect to your partner. Don’t take advantage of them. Show how much you love them and care for them. You can surprise them with roses or with a simple gift. Help out with chores sometimes and don’t put everything on your partner. A marriage goes both ways and always remember that love is precious and so is the person you are with.

While it might seem like the sadness and mourning will last forever it won’t. You can use that time to grow in the Lord and get closer to him like never before. When you depend on Jesus he will take your mourning and turn around into dancing. You will no longer feel the burden that you did before. Your heart will be filled with joy and you’ll be smiling when you wake up in the morning. This kind of peace only comes from Jesus.

Sometimes it might seem like months and months before we ever experience this kind of joy but know that whatever you are going through that you are not alone. Jesus is right there waiting for you to give it all to him. If you fully trust and depend on Jesus go with peace knowing that everything is in his hands because it is! In this day and age not enough people have peace and the reason why is because they are not trusting in Jesus.

There are many Christians who deny the calling of God because they are comfortable with being in their home and having all of their needs met on a daily basics. What if that one person hurting in another country could have been saved and set free because of you and what if you are holding them back from the plan of salvation? Isaiah 6:8 says: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” If you hear that voice of the Lord speaking and calling to you do not be afraid to go forth and answer yes. There is a reason why Jesus is calling you to serve him.

What if you don’t have enough money? When Jesus is calling you to serve him know that he will supply everything that you need. Sometimes it might not come right away and it might even come after the date, there are other times that you think you might need something but don’t. Trust Jesus to guide you and hold your hand while you are going out there to serve him.

When you are serving Jesus you don’t have to fly across the country to do it. You can start with doing things in your neighborhood. A lot of people are stressed these days for many reasons. Just because someone looks like they might have everything together does not mean that they do. Don’t be afraid to go up and tell them about Jesus if you feel that God is leading you to do so. Your words and testimony about Jesus could change them forever.