Overcome the Power of Your Enemy – Proverbs 25:21-22
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward you.
“He called.” I had crumbled to the floor and was still holding the phone in my hand. My husband stood there with concern all over his face. “Why?”
I had dated the guy before my husband and started dating, but he never accepted that I had moved on. He called. He wrote. And in a small town, I found that he was everywhere I needed to be. It was after my husband and I were married that I discovered it was intentional. “He’s following you.” A former friend of his told us one day.
That one phone call led to a full year of rehashing and reliving the troubles. It made me sick each time I had to go through the details. It made me angry that he was causing issues in my life – in my new life with my husband.
I read the Proverbs about heaping coals on his head – and I it made me smile. I read the information about “coal on his head” and how it is a good thing, and my smile faded. I did not want to give him bread or give him water. I wanted to run him over with a truck – and yes, I know that is not good, positive or uplifting.
I prayed about the issue, but worry refused to let me rest in that pray.
I prayed about the worry, but fear of retribution held the prayer back.
It took years of prayer war to get there, but I got there (on most days). I woke up one morning and determined to let it go. “Lord, I know that the world can make things happen. I know that the world can cause trouble. But I know that you have overcome the world and I am choosing to believe in you.” I released the stuff that had piled up because of that one moment on a phone so many years before.
I have never given him anything to eat. I have never given him anything to drink. I still avoid direct contact with him. But I have released it to God – in my heart and in my mind.
For me, the Proverbs is not just about physical actions, but about a heart-felt change. I turn my focus from the actions of others to the One that matters – and in doing so I release the others to Him as well.
Be blessed,
