For Tuesday, August 11, 2026:
Luke 6:27-28 NLT, Jesus speaking: “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”
Notice how Jesus begins: “To those who are willing to listen.” He already knows that this message may be unpopular. He’s teaching, “Love your enemies!” Seems counterintuitive. Don’t we hate our enemies?
That’s how the world works, but that’s not how Christians should operate. Jesus wants us to include enemies in our prayers. We can pray for a change in their evil ways. We can pray that they would see the light! We can pray that they would switch sides, come to know Jesus and become one of us! After all, that’s what Paul did!
Pray that our enemy would become our friend. Pray that we could let go and let God, and no longer hold a grudge. Pray that forgiveness would be our hallmark, because the Lord will forgive us as we forgive others. And as the Lord’s prayer says, “Lead us not into temptation.” Mankind so easily succumbs to temptation that we need to pray to stay far from it. We ask God to separate the sheep from the goats as he promised. If evil has crept too close to us, deliverance may be in order. Satan needs to be kept at bay, and Jesus said to pray, “Deliver us from evil.”
Every day God gives each one of us a yellow pad and a pen. At the top, write: Things To Do Today! Number down the left side. Now start filling in the lines. You get to decide your own agenda! Ideally, loving the Lord should be first. Loving your neighbors is next. Praying for your enemies should be somewhere on the list. After all, that’s what Jesus said to do!
Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church
