Jesus:  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 sons of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:43-44)

Let me be honest. I dislike a couple of people whose lives intersect mine. We rub each other the wrong way. They are the closest thing I have to enemies, given I’m not on an ISIS hit list or being sued. Calling someone I don’t like my enemy might sound like an exaggeration, but Jesus commands “Love your enemies” in the same sermon in which he equates anger and murder.
 
God is using these “enemies” in my life. Step 1: A while ago, He shocked me by revealing to me that I possess the very traits I condemn in them. He has used them to prosecute, not persecute, me! Step 2: God is stirring up in me the desire, and giving me the power, to make progress against these negative character traits (or sins, if you insist on calling them by their right name).
 
But there’s a Step 3. Now God is calling me to pray for my enemies in their battles just as I pray for myself in mine. He wants me to view them as fellow sinners and strugglers instead of enemies. Every time I ask Him to help me overcome these persistent sins, He wants me to link arms with my “enemies” before His throne and pray for them too. This week, ask yourself who your enemies are and how you can pray for them.
 
Here are more suggested prayer topics for this week:
 
1.  Praise and thank the Lord for a successful FunFest on Saturday. It was wonderful to see so many people serving and to participate in an event that brought our English and Chinese congregations together. We welcomed many, many visitors from our neighborhood. Continue to pray that the families who sensed the love of God, perhaps for the first time, will come back for a visit on a Sunday morning.
 
2.  Join Lorraine Kratt in praising God that her pathology report was clear. The cancer was confined to her bladder and had not spread to her lymph nodes. She requires no further treatment!
 
3.  Al Pence, one of our retired missionaries, recently suffered a heart attack due to clogging in an existing stent. Al is home and recovering but weak. Please pray for Al and his wife, Pat. 
 
4.  Pray over the Men’s Breakfast, which will be held this Saturday, Nov. 5. Pray for the speaker, Pediatric Cardiologist J.C. Loo, and for a time of good and godly fellowship among Calvary men.
 
5.  Lift up Jamie Gilbert as she steps back into her job as Children’s Ministry Director after an eleven-week absence.  Pray for strength and abundant grace as she fulfills her responsibilities at church and handles baby AJ’s numerous doctor appointments and continuing health concerns.
 
6.  Please be praying for two projects going on in November that serve the Hacienda Victoria orphanage in Rosarito, Mexico. Our annual Christmas project will provide gifts for 105 children and staff members. A multi-generational team from Calvary will be visiting the orphanage the weekend before Thanksgiving to do work projects and interact with the kids.
 
7.  In Jim Hatcher’s most recent update, he asks us to pray for a training ministry he has long been a part of – Biblische Ausbildung am Ort, which translates as Biblical Education on Location. The purpose of BAO is to equip leaders of evangelical churches in German-speaking Europe for service to the body of Christ. Jim writes, “The need for leaders is greater than ever, but we are working at less than half-capacity these days. With a renewed sense of urgency, I would like to ask you to pray with us for the Lord to bring new people to help us train and disciple the next generation of Austrian leaders.”

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea