Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 to “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Today and every day going forward we will pray for those in the news and for those who need the love of Jesus in their hearts. If there is anyone you feel compelled to pray for in this blog, please email me at akersofracing@aol.com.

As God’s children, we are instructed, nay commanded in His Word, to love and forgive those who persecute us.  Look no further than Luke 6:27-29 when Jesus says, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do go to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you one one cheek, turn to them the other also.”

How difficult is it for us, in our human nature, to obey that that command? Isn’t our first inclination in most cases to seek revenge, restitution or, at the very least, fire back at those who have slandered you?

This week, Vice President Mike Pence took the high road, and should be lauded for his restraint. When hosts of the liberal ABC talk show, “The View,” chastised Pence for his Christian beliefs and mocked him for “hearing from Jesus,” Pence responded, I believe, in a Christ-like manner:

“I actually heard that ABC has a program that compared by Christianity to mental illness. And I’d like to laugh about it, but I can’t. It’s just wrong. And it’s an insult not to me, but to the vast majority of the American people who, like me, cherish their faith. … I just think it demonstrates how out of touch some in the mainstream media area with the faith and values of the American people. … But it’s simply wrong for ABC to have a television program that expresses that type of religious intolerance. We’re better than that. our country is better than that.”

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matt. 5:11).

Therefore, I pray:

“Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you and ask for your forgiveness for the hosts of “The View” program–Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin and Megan McCain, for their hardness of heart toward you. We know that we will be blessed when people insult us because of our allegiance to you. Your word says so. But we ask now that you take hold of the hearts of these women and reveal Yourself in a mighty way to them so that they can see Your glory. They obviously have a big audience and have a great deal of influence with their position, so while their hearts are still far from you, protect their viewers from the words of the hosts that do not glorify you. Let hearts be transformed and let that stand as a testimony to your greatness and the power of the Holy Spirit. With God, NOTHING is impossible, as we know.

“We also pray for Omarosa Manigault, who has taken to reality television to spread gossip about Pence and the Trump White House. We ask that you grab hold of her heart and that it be transformed and help her to see that all she needs is you, and not the allure of fame and fortune that the enemy is dangling in front of her.”

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? … But 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. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:32-33, 35-36)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. … Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:43-45, 48)