Don’t be afraid to make some enemies

Did you think I meant, “Don’t be afraid to make some friends?” Yeah, those are good too. No, seriously though, we want to have as many friends as we can. However, sometimes making enemies can’t be avoided. No matter how hard we may try, we will end up making some enemies.

I have a bit of a problem in this area. I have a tendency to want everyone to like me. I often care too much about what other people think of me. So, as a result I don’t want other people to dislike me. However, this just isn’t a realistic expectation. Really, the only way to get everyone to like you is to never do anything meaningful. We sometimes think that having enemies is a bad thing, or that it means we’re doing something wrong. We can look back through history and see that it’s just not the case. It’s not just mean or antagonistic people that make enemies. Some of the best people, and ones who made the most change for good, had just as many enemies.

People who tried to be the agents of change for the better ran up against some of the worst opposition. I was thinking about William Wilberforce. He was an English politician, who pioneered and led the charge for the abolition of slavery in England, starting in the late 18^th century. He ran up against a great deal of opposition. Thinking of it today, this seems like a no-brainer. Slavery seems, and is, an abhorrent idea today that most people would oppose. At the time, however, ending slavery was a revolutionary idea. A great deal of their economy was dependent on the use of slaves. And when you start to mess with people’s livelihood, you’re going to run up against some opposition. Regardless of the enemies he made along the way, he didn’t let that stop him. And even though it happened after he resigned from Parliament, his work was a leading cause for the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Thinking along the same vein, Abraham Lincoln faced a great deal of opposition as well. We know he had at least half the country that didn’t like him; hence the Civil War. Although, looking at election results, maybe that can be said of any President. However, you could say the dislike was more intense when war is involved. So, Lincoln probably made more enemies than most. He was working towards a similar result, but ultimately trying to unite the Nation. Lincoln ultimately prevailed as well. However, in this case, it came at great cost of lives. It seemed, though, that the battle had to be fought in order to bring about a resolution. This culminated in the freeing of slaves and the country being integrated and, ultimately, united.

What if these men had worried about making enemies? How far do you think they would have made it in achieving their goal? I would venture to say they wouldn’t have gotten very far. And how would our society look without the changes they helped to bring about?

…Let’s go deeper

When we look at the life of Jesus, we can see that He, no doubt, ran up against great opposition. And even though He was the greatest agent of change for good in the World, He made a lot of enemies. In fact, He made more enemies than anyone. This was inevitable, though. The reason He made enemies is because He made a stand. He created a clear line of demarcation. And He made statements that were revolutionary.

AV Matthew 10:34: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” This was Jesus’ statement about Himself. It was a bold statement. This is the reason He has enemies. He was making a stand. The reason He made this statement was because He knew everyone wasn’t going to agree with Him. He was going to face opposition. But He wasn’t going to waver in the face of that opposition. He had a mission. He was here to change lives. He was here to draw people to Himself. But He also recognized that some people weren’t going to like that.

AV 2 Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” This verse is for us here, today. Paul’s message to Timothy was, “Hey, you’re going to run into people who don’t like what you have to say, or the stand that you make.” And the same is true now. Some people don’t like the message of the gospel. There are absolutes that people have to face. And in the face of absolutes will come absolute opposition.

Later intake of cialis 20 mg icks.org 100 mg you can get everything here. viagra cost in canada Nonetheless, after a sleep routine was in put, could be in cardiac arrest. One is http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/1482461379_add_file_6.pdf lowest cost viagra the IUI procedure or the Intra-Uterine Insemination and another is the IVF or the In-Vitro Fertilization. The canada tadalafil 10mg particular traction unit is a device that fits just about any size of male member. AV 1 Peter 4:12: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” Sometimes the opposition we face isn’t necessarily of this world. Making a stand for Jesus also means facing our enemy, the devil. We will often find we go through trials while trying to go about the work God has for us to do. Things will happen to come along and try to trip us up. These are to be expected. And we shouldn’t be surprised when these things come along our path. This is something Paul talked about and had to deal with himself.

AV 2 Corinthians 11:25: “Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;” Paul knew he would face opposition and that it wouldn’t all come from the people of this world. He knew, and was consciously aware, of the enemy of his soul. He even talked about this again in Acts 20, and makes the statement, “But none of these things move me.” What was he saying? He was saying that he wasn’t going to let any of these things keep him from the mission and work that God had given him to do. These were just hindrances to the work of God, and he wasn’t going to let them keep him from his mission.

One of Jesus’ most revolutionary statements actually involved how to deal with your enemies. AV Matthew 5:44: “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;” Many people didn’t like this statement alone. This isn’t a natural reaction when someone lashes out at us, or resists us in some way. We tend to want to react in the same way. However, Jesus wants us to think differently. And when we think differently, we can act differently. One of the most important things this does for us is keep our hearts right towards other people. This is a key element of us being the light He wants us to be in this world.

AV Matthew 10:34: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

AV Matthew 5:44: “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;”