Right? That’s what we are doing aren’t we? Not really, not most Christians. We have placed all of our expectation in Jesus Christ by faith and are building confident hope as we work out our salvation. We can do good for them and love them because we have overflowing and abundant love constantly filling and satisfying our heart, mind and soul. Every relationship in our life friend or enemy is an opportunity to bless the Lord in our giving. The only one left for us to please is God. He allowed us to forgive others with no loss of self because we have already given our life to the Lord. When Jesus died, He restored our relationship with God. There is not one thing that you desired that a person can fulfill better than Jesus. There is nothing another person can give you or take from you outside of what the Lord has done for you. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and nothing that we could ever do, we have been forgiven. Sin separated us from Him and put us at odds with His Kingdom. Jesus gave His Life so we could be reconciled with God. A true friend lays down his life for another. Do you pray for your friends? Do you love them in real life or simply in word only? I guess we must learn to love everyone from our friends to our enemies. Truth is a lot of people who say they are friends don’t really act like it. When we do this, we act like true Children of God. Jesus has told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Sadly most of the time our greatest “enemies” are the ones we once loved, those who were allowed close enough to our heart to do the most damage when times grew tough. If I asked you to name your enemies, those who could catch their tongue before sharing the bitter truth would still see a vivid image of those who have betrayed them.
However, the enemy has done a mighty fine job of superimposing their faces over his own as he continues to manipulate people with deception and division. People should no longer be considered enemies of those who are believers. I am not telling you this but reminding myself. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.Ĭhildren of God who are born again by the Blood of Jesus Christ and call Him Lord do not have enemies. But I say, love your enemies!Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. This is all good information to have, should our enemies attack us because we can use that information to defend ourselves or diffuse the situation.“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. What motivates their actions? How do they persuade people? What causes them to get pushed off their game? This allows us to work with them closely so we can gain invaluable insight to how they work or complete a goal you have in common. Having resources or information to give them will make you an asset to them and vice versa. Typically, we will have some shared objectives, interests or values with our enemies. Beneath the surface, there is a huge amount of respect for each other and how they are executing their game of cat and mouse with each other. Al Pacino plays a detective who is hunting Robert De Niro’s character.
#Keep your friends close and your enemies closer movie
There is a scene in the movie Heat where this is illustrated. If you are enemies, you each see each other as a threat, and we respect people who challenge us on some level. With an enemy there is already foundation of mutual respect, even if you dislike each other.
Keeping your enemies close requires a balancing act, but once mastered will become second nature. Enemies also present times for adversity, which naturally pushes you out of your comfort zone and provides an opportunity for personal growth. How do they think? What motivates their actions? What kind of tactics might they employ against you? What are their pressure points?Īnother reason why it’s important to keep your enemies closer is that they may honest with you about a shortcoming, where a friend wouldn’t be to spare your feelings. If someone is your enemy, it’s helpful to understand what their strengths and weaknesses are. The idea of keeping your enemies closer is all about knowledge, information and strategy. Friends are somewhat predictable, and you know their strengths and weaknesses. You may know this famous quote from The Godfather Part II or Machiavelli, but it dates back to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.
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