Mensa Otabil - When Enemies Become a Blessing
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One of the ways that God gives us peace is to make our enemies become a blessing to us. Proverbs chapter 16, verse 7: «When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.» God has a way of using what was meant for evil to work for your good, and the Bible is full of stories of how God turned the traps that have been set for his people into stepping stones for their promotion. Sadly, fallen human beings are capable of hating others and behaving in very evil ways. Sometimes people can act in bad ways, and even believers can be overcome by envy and insecurity, leading them to scheme against others.
Scripture tells us that sometimes even a person’s enemies can be from his household. That may not sound comforting, but it’s the reality. That means each of us must determine not to become the enemy, which means not allowing ourselves to be so overcome with envy that we seek to destroy someone else. The goodness of God goes beyond the evil plans of anyone against you, so what was meant for evil, God is able to turn around for your good. When a man or a woman’s ways please the Lord, he will make even your enemies to be at peace with you. This doesn’t necessarily mean that enemies will reconcile with you, but that enemies will be used to bring well-being, safety, security, and promotion to you because that is what peace is all about.
God’s Shalom encompasses well-being, security, and prosperity, and God can use your enemies to bring these things to you. How does God do that? He turns the intentions of those who seek your hurt in the opposite direction. They want you to go one way, and God turns it the opposite way. A spiritual attack may be launched against you to destroy you, but it results in a series of unprecedented, unexpected blessings and favor and an open door. God is able to make your enemies work for your Shalom, for your peace, for your prosperity, and for your abundance. That is why he says not to bother fighting them because vengeance is mine. God doesn’t have vengeance by destroying your enemy; rather, he has vengeance by turning what was meant for evil into good for you.
That’s how God gets vengeance; he doesn’t destroy people because of you. He uses what they intended to destroy you with to build you up, which is why you shouldn’t seek out enemies and fight them. God tells us repeatedly to pray for them. He says leave vengeance to me; I know how to fix it. I don’t know who is scheming against you, who is trying to pull you down, or who has spent all night planning your destruction, but they are your best friends because they are working for your Shalom, for your peace, for your well-being, and for your goodness.
God is going to turn it all around to favor you. I see God turning traps into stepping stones for you. I see God transforming the gossip intended to tarnish your image into that which decorates your good name and builds you up with integrity. May the Lord God avenge you in every battle of life. Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I leave the plans of those who seek to hurt me in your hands. Turn their evil intentions into my well-being. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. If you trust God, he’ll take good care of you. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.