Jesus says to forgive our enemies, bless those who curse you...
We wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities, powers...
God is our vindicator. He is a just God. We pray to God to deliver us , set us free, to rebuke and destroy the wicked one in our lives.
Now, when we have enemies in life seeking to do us harm, to destroy our lives, are cruel, no compassion, no love , don't care about us and seek to do evil. Is it ok to ask God to destroy these people's plans who are set out against you? Although satan is working in these people, these people are still doing wrong so although we're supposed to pray for them , can we also ask God to be aggressive in His power against them . After all aren't we to have an aggressive faith at times. Be a violent christian (not physically, but spiritually). If we're to be aggressive with the devil what about the people he is using? How far can we go in asking God for help in that the evil people do not succeed against us? Can we ask for their life to be affected like they're doing, done, trying to do to us? Any guidance for me here please?
Jesus speaking, "Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. 27“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 26-37).
Again Jesus says, "Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you."
How can someone be kind to someone who seeks to destroy them? How can someone love them? The answer is that in your flesh it is very difficult and would take great self control. However when you trust God with it, not deciding on the outcome, but giving all things to God trusting Him for your safety, provision and protection, submitting yourself to God completely he will possibly help to change others, but He will change you so that the enemy can't effect you. God can and will give you a hedge of protection around you if you by faith fully trust Him. God can and will give you a peace that passes all understanding and a joy so great it is unimaginable if you by faith fully trust Him. Even if someone destroys your opportunity, job, friendship with another, God can and will bring new opportunities, a better job, new friendships and restore other ones to better than they were before.
"present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2).
Although the bible has instances like Paul says, "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works" (2nd Timothy 4:14), and other places, David in the Psalms is where this type of thing is mostly seen.
"Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head , and
give them for a prey in the land of captivity: And cover not their iniquity , and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders (Nehemiah 4:4-5).
So how can we see on the one hand Jesus saying one thing and on the other these men of God saying what they said. However, there are times when God puts his own rebuke in a person through God's Spirit. I believe the rebukes were from a righteous anger from God not a self longing. Even though many of the rebukes talk of self, like in many of David's requests, I think they come from the Spirit of being a reproach that they are unjustly persecuting out of God's will and thus are against God, not just that they want to be relieved. For example, in Paul's case he was persecuted a lot. Yet you only see him giving (as far as I remember) this rebuke at Alexander.
With Alexander Paul continues, "Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message" (2 Timothy 4:14-15).
This seems more of a rebuke not because Paul suffered, but because he was turning a great many away from the gospel that Paul was preaching.
I think we should be following what Jesus said. If their is the rare case of a rebuke, the person will be certain it is from the Holy Spirit and thus it is from love, probably because God has no other choice to do something to protect others and the message and whatever He knows that is beyond our knowing. We however are sinners who are saved and thus have no right to want others harmed when we ourselves deserve death on the cross and the lake of fire.
Love your enemies, bless those who curse you. Be so in God's Spirit that the power of God comes through you that people who wish you great harm feel God's presence and are afraid. Trust God to provide greater things so you are not afraid of losing something. Trust God for peace. Love people who don't know what they are doing because they have an inner hell if they are abusive one that maybe they want to overcome and can't.
Paul was a murderer of Christians before he was saved. Instead of God condemning him God looked at what He created Paul to be and saved him. As a result we have a lot of the new testament written through him and he helped to spread the gospel to many who spread the gospel to many who spread the gospel and so on.
When we are in God's love and in His Spirit many times the other person will actually change because they know there is something different about us. However, if they don't we are experiencing God's love and peace so things that seemed so big become small and insignificant in comparison to the joy that is living in us.