Yes, Jesus instructed us to pray for our enemies. He said:

"Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." {Matthew 5:44}

But how many Christians actually obey His commandment?

Instead the kind of prayer that dominates church meetings these days are those made against their enemies. They often pray for their enemies to "die, die, die, die by fire."

And Jesus never commanded anyone to pray against His enemies, but for them. And Jesus Himself illustrated what He meant by praying for one's enemies when He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34

This He said in a prayer to God concerning those His enemies responsible for His crucifixion while yet hanging on the cross. So if Jesus being our Lord and Master didn't pray against His enemies but for them despite all that they had subjected Him to, I believe we have no excuse to do the otherwise.

The commandments Jesus gave to us was to make us become children of our heavenly Father who is also merciful.

Matthew 5:45 (KJV)

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

And Jesus also said, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7

And we all need God's mercy, so it's important that we're merciful to our enemies, if we want to obtain mercy from God.

I do pray for my enemies in obedience to the commandment Jesus gave just about any time I pray. I pray that God should have mercy on them, forgives them of their sins, heal them, protect them, provide their needs, save them etc. And that includes even some of my 'enemies" here in this forum.

If I make a list of supposed atheists and satanists here that have hence featured in my prayers, it might be surprising to some because it would be a very long one. And it's always for them, never against them. Most of them don't know what they're doing as Jesus said, so the true believers shouldn't follow them ignorantly but as those who know much better.

A lot of Christians today appear to be very passionate about Apostle Paul, but who knows if Paul was here today persecuting Christians as he did in those days, if they would have been fasting and praying the same "die, die, die by fire" prayer for him, and we wouldn't have the Paul alive today for God to use him as he did?

I believe one man's prayer proved very crucial for the salvation of Paul despite that he consented to his persecution and eventual death, and it was that of Stephen who obeyed the instructions of Jesus to pray for our enemies.

When he was being stoned to death instead of praying against his enemies, he said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Acts 7:60

And God i believe answered the prayer Stephen said for his enemies in accordance with the teaching of Jesus, and didn't lay their sins to their charge, including that of Paul who consented to his death, and today many Christians are able to benefit from his life and teachings which is a source of inspiration to their faith.

But what if Stephen hadn't obeyed Jesus commandments as many of Christians are doing today and praying against his enemies instead of for them as Jesus had commanded us to do, and God had granted his request?

There maybe several potential Pauls among those enemies we're praying against to die, die, die, die by fire, so if God grants our requests, we may not be able to see them being forgiven, saved and used by God the way He used Paul for His work. So instead of praying against your enemies, we should begin to pray for them as Christ instructed us to do, for God knows how best to protect us from evil, and the best way to get His protection is by following His instructions.

But if you want to continue praying against your enemies because of that is what most people are doing, including your church leaders who you look up to, something you ought to know is that every one of them would also stand before Jesus who gave that instruction to give account of himself. So none of them would be able to defend you when the time comes if you disobey His Words.

Remember His saying, "blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy".

So if you want to obtain mercy from Him at the end, you should start having mercy on your enemies. And you can start today by praying for your enemies as He commanded us to do.

God bless.

Capital NO!

Let me see how protesters will pray for SARS

#EndSars

The government is our enemies and we pray for the government everyday
#EndSars

Baawaa:
Capital NO!

Why?

Are you not a Jesus follower?

What you give is what you get.

This Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached whether men like it or not.

Pray for your enemies!

As True Believers we should always imitate Christ. "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Abbi?
That brings us before The Throne of Grace with humility in our hearts.
HOWEVER, this is not to be confused or interchanged with Warfare Prayers in which we rebuke and/or seek to terminate our foes! We are to hate what Jah hates. The Most High God hates evil!
If a person refuses to repent from their wickedness, you can command their evil to be terminated from your life permanently! Which may mean the demonic forces taking their life.
THEY CAN REPENT. THEY HAVE A FREE WILL TO STILL CHOOSE RIGHTEOUSNESS.
JAH wants them in Heaven also.

Do your research, rightly dividing the word of truth. PEACE & LOVE.

...pray for them to live or die?

SistaDee:
As True Believers we should always imitate Christ. "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Abbi?
That brings us before The Throne of Grace with humility in our hearts.
HOWEVER, this is not to be confused or interchanged with Warfare Prayers in which we rebuke and/or seek to terminate our foes! We are to hate what Jah hates. The Most High God hates evil!
If a person refuses to repent from their wickedness, you can command their evil to be terminated from your life permanently! Which may mean the demonic forces taking their life.
THEY CAN REPENT. THEY HAVE A FREE WILL TO STILL CHOOSE RIGHTEOUSNESS.
JAH wants them in Heaven also.

Do your research, rightly dividing the word of truth. PEACE & LOVE.

So, where did Jesus Christ command you to engage in this warfare prayers of yours in which you rebuke/or seek to terminate your foes? Where? Since Jesus Christ is the one you claim to imitate, please kindly post where He says you should engage in these "warfare prayers", even in His name?

SistaDee:
As True Believers we should always imitate Christ. "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Abbi?
That brings us before The Throne of Grace with humility in our hearts.
HOWEVER, this is not to be confused or interchanged with Warfare Prayers in which we rebuke and/or seek to terminate our foes! We are to hate what Jah hates. The Most High God hates evil!
If a person refuses to repent from their wickedness, you can command their evil to be terminated from your life permanently! Which may mean the demonic forces taking their life.
THEY CAN REPENT. THEY HAVE A FREE WILL TO STILL CHOOSE RIGHTEOUSNESS.
JAH wants them in Heaven also.

Do your research, rightly dividing the word of truth. PEACE & LOVE.

You cannot know about spiritual warfare than Jesus did. He never prayed against His enemies but when it comes to destroying the works of Satan no one else comes close. Demons trembled even at the sight of Him.

No human or evil spirit could dare touch Him until His time came.

The disciples of Jesus followed in His footsteps and you know what the results were compared to what you have today.

God knows how to protect His Own so using protection or spiritual warfare as an excuse to disobey the Teachings of Jesus is a ridiculous excuse. The best way to destroy the works of the devil and to get God's protection from one's enemies is by following Christ's example of prayer and keeping His Word.

If you don't, it makes you to be less a child of God to that extent, because Jesus never did that while He was on Earth. He was an epitome of the ways of God in human form.

You can't speak about rightly dividing the Word of God when you're clearly disobeying the Word of God in the flesh, which is Jesus, because you would be contradicting yourself.

God bless.

Pray for them not against them.

CodeTemplar:
...pray for them to live or die?

Which did Jesus do?

No time for excuses.

Obedience is the key!

jesusjnr2020:
Pray for your enemies!

I don't have that kind of grace. Stop them before they stop you!

Ishilove:

I don't have that kind of grace. Stop them before they stop you!

You have no choice, you must have that grace. Why, because you need God's mercy.

Moreover the best way to stop your enemies, is by obeying God's Word. And God commanded us to pray for our enemies.

Ishilove:

I don't have that kind of grace. Stop them before they stop you!

in Ishilove's voice "do not be unfortunate, enemies die by fire"

sageb:
in Ishilove's voice "do not be unfortunate, enemies die by fire"

Not just fire. Thunder and lightning. Nobody will use my destiny to play ludo. Let them die so I can have peace

Have you?

jesusjnr2020:
Have you?

Hmmm...

It's easier to forgive one's enemies when one prays for them as Jesus had commanded.

jesusjnr2020:
It's easier to forgive one's enemies when one prays for them as Jesus had commanded.

If you don't forgive men their trespasses against you, God won't forgive you of yours.

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34

Pray for your enemies.

Father forgive me as i forgive my enemies and deliver them from the demons that control their lives especially RUO, AM, MO, KA and KU

I have. Have you?

Do you know what happens to those who don't keep the Master Words?

jesusjnr2020:
Pray for them not against them.

I must pray against witches, they have sold their soul to the devil, any witch or forces that attack me must fall down and die. We move. the days are evil, this world is a battlefield.

I can't pray for someone that is stopping my destiny from moving forward, stopping me from getting my breakthrough that person will release and die cos the person is no longer an enemy, the person is now a principality. .

The only enemy I can pray for are enemies that just dislike me and dont talk to me, not the one that go to herbalist and shrine to tie me down, send a spell to me, those ones dont commot from enemy, enter principality.

Nuttella:
I must pray against witches, they have sold their soul to the devil, any witch or forces that attack me must fall down and die. We move. the days are evil, this world is a battlefield.

I can't pray for someone that is stopping my destiny from moving forward, stopping me from getting my breakthrough that person will release and die cos the person is no longer an enemy, the person is now a principality. .

The only enemy I can pray for are enemies that just dislike me and dont talk to me, not the one that go to herbalist and shrine to tie me down, send a spell to me, those ones dont commot from enemy, enter principality.

You still have a lot to learn.

You cannot overcome the principalities and the powers of the devil more than Jesus. Jesus never prayed for His enemies to die yet there's no one that has inflicted more damage on the works of Satan more than Jesus did. No one that has been invincible to the powers of darkness as Jesus was.

You can't claim to be a true follower of Jesus and yet not follow His instructions, it's impossible!

Keep making flimsy excuses to justify your reasons for doing so. You only end up limiting yourself. There's a level of victory in the spirit you can never attain unless you keep His Word.

I recently shared a true story of a "baba" of witches that died next door moments after I was confronted by the devil. I don't pray for witches to die but that happened to show that I don't need to pray for them to die, but by simply obeying the Words of the Master.

Enjoy yourself though if you want to keep deliberately disobeying the instructions of Jesus. You choice! No be by force.

Perhaps you think you or your teachers could possibly know better than Him.