WORKING WITH THE ENEMY

One of the complaints that I often hear is that my boss or coworker is the enemy; they disturb my peace and make my life miserable. Admittingly, it is difficult for those in this situation to go to their place of employment knowing what awaits them. For some, the mental and emotional effect of it has caused physical sickness.

Satan loves the turmoil these individuals are experiencing, and he wants them to hate their adversary and wish cruelty on them. He does not want them to remember the following scriptures:

Matthew 5:11-12, 43-45 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 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.

Romans 12:20-21 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Proverbs 24:17-20 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked: For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Though it is difficult, God wants us to love our enemies and allow Him to mete out the punishment for their cruel actions. Notably, a prime example for us to follow is David, so let me remind you of his behavior.

David was brought to King Saul’s court because of his skills. 1 Samuel 16:18 recorded what one of the king’s servants told him about David, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.” Hence, King Saul sent for David, and he was assigned the task of playing the harp when an evil spirit came upon the king. David was successful in doing what was required for the scriptures revealed, “And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him (1 Samuel 16:23).

David continued in this position until after a battle between Israel and the Philistines where he killed the giant Goliath. King Saul was so impressed with David, he elevated him and placed him over the men of war. 1 Samuel 18:14 stated. “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Things were harmonious between David and the king until the king heard women singing about David’s exploits. This made the king angry, jealous and suspicious, and he decided he needed to kill David. The bible noted the numerous attempts of the king to kill David, and there were times David could have retaliated, but he did not. As stated in 1 Samuel 18:30, “David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him,”.

So, in closing, remember, David was the solution for King Saul’s problem. People appreciated David’s behavior and praised him for the things he did. David never became revengeful toward King Saul and when the king’s life ended David was truly sorrowful and this is what God wants all of us to do when we are working with the enemy.