Twelve ways I’ve been blessed by my enemies

“Shall we receive good from the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10)

Blessing #1:

Thanks to the adversity of my enemies, I received the priceless gift of the desire to see the truth. I realized that without the truth, I was vulnerable and stumbled in the dark, not even knowing who my real enemies were.

When I was frustrated, Grandma would say, “Remember, everything comes out in the wash.”

What comes out in the wash?

Grandma was full of those little sayings. Sometimes they drove me crazy.

At other times, they actually proved helpful in distracting me from my frustrations and motivating me to focus on figuring out the meaning of Grandma’s riddles. However, years later, through encounters with my own enemies, I finally discovered the true meaning of the clues she had given me.

So over time I started to see just how tricky haters can be. Proverbs says that enemies have the ability to “speak clean” while having “seven abominations in their hearts.” Grandma used to tell me that it’s not always possible to distinguish the “good” from the “bad”. “Bad boys” can look very cool at times, even downright “religious.”

Blessing #2:

Thanks to my enemies, God began to bless me with discernment and patience. Enemies are like laundry that may not look very dark or dirty. Sometimes they may not seem bad at all. But in the end, we are usually surprised to see how dirty the water becomes when the washing process is complete and it is finally poured down the drain.

We must learn to watch and wait until the dirt manifests itself. Grandma would smile; she stirs the dark soapy water and say, “Look now, how dirty those clothes were.”

After I became a Christian, God’s Word provided me with the answers I was looking for. But just like my grandmother’s sayings, sometimes I needed attacks from my enemies before I could hear the Holy Spirit explain it all and make it real to me through life’s experiences.

Blessing #3:

Enemies, like angels, became my saving messengers. Like the angel who wrestled with Jacob, my adversaries made me change my person to fulfill God’s purposes.

Blessing #4:

I felt trapped and overwhelmed by the relentless attacks, until my enemy chased me into the saving arms of God and gave me an insatiable desire to hear his voice. For that I will be forever grateful.

I assumed that from then on things would improve. But first everything had to get much worse. The enemy was unleashed on me for the next 23 years. During that time, God had the opportunity to teach and bless me in many more amazing ways.

Blessing #5:

My enemy did things to endanger my life. But God showed me that I was being protected. When the enemy yelled at me and criticized me, God tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Be still and know that I am God.”

A few minutes later, my enemy fell down the cellar stairs, the load of wood he was carrying hitting him square in the face. As blood trickled out of his mouth, he said, “I feel like someone punched me in the mouth.”

He knew, without a doubt, that SOMEONE had just punched him in the mouth. Other enemies were not so lucky. I learned to pray for mercy on my enemies, especially those who were members of my family. While I wanted them to see the benefits of doing the right thing, I knew it would hurt me more to see them suffer.

Blessing #6:

When my enemy brought filth into my house, God taught me the importance of separating the clean from the unclean.

Blessing #7:

When my enemy convinced my friends, family, and church that I was bad, God showed me the importance of being blameless and gave me the confidence to stand on His Word.

Blessing #8:

My enemy secretly betrayed me, but God revealed it and I saw the benefits of hearing His Voice. This became very unsettling for my enemy because he began to think that I could read his mind.

Blessing #9:

While my enemies conspired and lied to me, God showed me that I shouldn’t listen to what they were saying, but watch what they were really doing, because their actions would tell what was really going on in their hearts. “The simple believe every word.” (Proverbs)

Blessing #10:

My enemies held me captive with lies and false doctrines until my cup was filled with blessings, then the truth of God’s Word and Law finally vindicated me and set me free.

Blessing #11:

My enemy said that my reaction to being oppressed and bullied was a sign of “mental illness” and that I needed to be medicated and hospitalized.

I was never medicated or hospitalized, but I studied and learned valuable lessons about mental illness from a Christian perspective.

I was eventually able to help others with this knowledge, while my enemy became increasingly mentally ill and eventually had to be institutionalized.

It was interesting that approximately five people who told others that I had a mental illness died in accidents and/or were hospitalized for mental illness.

Blessing #12:

Over the years my enemy stole from me: food, water, shelter, clothing, warmth in the winter, refreshment in the summer, whatever compensation I received for the work of my hands, companionship, advice, days, nights, weeks, Months years. , health, reputation and financial future and he left me alone with no money.

However, God sustained me in every way and now requires that my enemy continue to pay me until the day I die.

Yes, I am very grateful to God for my enemies. They have taught me many valuable lessons about myself and others, while revealing to me the true nature of God.

So if the Creator of the universe chooses to use my enemies to hurt me, who am I to complain about His methods?

So, will we receive good from the hand of God and not receive evil?

“Even if he kills me, I will trust him…” (Job 13:15)