If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
1 John 4:20
Clearly, God has an opinion on how we should FEEL toward one another, not just how we treat one another- and He doesn't say it's okay to love only certain people, people who think, look or act like we do. His admonishment to "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12) isn't just a suggestion, it's a mandate. Jesus didn't say, "Hey, wouldn't it be nice if..." He just said to do it.
Well, I disagree with what they stand for. He's rude. He's creepy. She's mean, evil. While those may be true, it doesn't give us license to rail against them, talk evil about them or judge their hearts. Only God can judge the heart and nowhere in scripture does it outline those people we don't have to love. When Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive his brother (7 times?) Jesus told him seventy times seven. He wasn't telling Peter to get a scoreboard, He was making the point that if you're keeping count, you haven't, really, forgiven. "Well, 20 years ago he/she did such-and-such." Real forgiveness is given even when it isn't asked for. Aside from that, are you the same person you were 20 years ago? Thank you, Lord, that I'm not. Chances are, they aren't, either.
And we all need to be careful about the words we speak over other people. God's word tells us that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue". This is a warning to be careful what you speak over people, but the real warning is in the second half of that verse- "And those that love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21) We need to remember that the words we speak will, not only, effect the person we spoke them about, but will boomerang. Like, my Granny used to say, "Those chickens always come home to roost"! This verse in Proverbs isn't just for Christians- it's a spiritual law and is true for all of us, believer and nonbeliever alike and goes hand-in-hand with Galatians 6:7 (Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. If you're speaking harm over someone, celebrating their misfortune, sickness or whatever, those are the seeds you're sowing. Is that a harvest you really want to reap in your life? Those are word curses, witchcraft. The Bible has some pretty strong things to say about witchcraft.
When we speak those kinds of words over people that are placed in authority over our lives and over our country, God is not pleased. He has commanded us to pray over those that "have the rule" over us. He doesn't say we have to agree with all that they do, but we are to pray for them. For me, I think the more we disagree with those in authority over us, the more we should be praying for them, but we must pray the heart of God over them- not our opinion. As we pray the heart of the Father over our leaders and over our nation, God will move. Powerfully. God wants to partner with us, but we must pray in accordance with His word, His nature and His heart. It is only then that we will see this nation transformed.
God is not done with America, as some would believe. America is one of only two nations that were formed under a covenant with God- the other being Israel. God wants to heal our land and we desperately need Him to do just that, but we must pray His heart. We must repent of the wickedness that has soaked our nation- even if we weren't the perpetrators. He is looking for us to stand in the gap and repent on behalf of America as if we, personally, committed the atrocities our nation is guilty of. It's what Jesus did for us.
As for our political leaders, I must confess, I've had my own harsh words to say about some of them, but I choose to no longer do that. I repent of the words of my mouth (and my Facebook posts) and choose, instead, to pray the heart of the Father for them. I choose to give them the grace I'm certain I will need when I stand before my Father. Does that mean I agree with their political agenda? No, it doesn't, but it does mean I choose to love them with the heart of my Father.
It is possible to disagree and still love. Won't you join me?
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