LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THEM

When  people do wrong towards us or treat us bad sometimes it's hard to forgive, forget, and continue to love that person.  Before I was saved it was so easy for me  to go off on a person who may have upset me or just stop talking to them  and not care what happened to them after I cut them off.  It's not that easy anymore!  I remember getting so angry at a lady because she always caused drama between me and other family members when she was around and she was so manipulative.  She would always and I do mean always cause problems when she was around.  She was not a person you could just go to and talk calmly with about the problem because she would blow up and go off.  I got so fed up with it that I decided I was not going to speak to her anymore, I would avoid her anytime she was around, I would just basically pretend or try to forget that she existed.  I mean after all that is what you are supposed to do when you  disliked someone that much, right? 

Then out of nowhere it hit me!  How can I love God but almost hate his creation?  OUCH!  Man, now that's deep.  At least for me it is.  To answer the question I CAN"T!  So how do I love or even like a person who is constantly doing me wrong and always trying to cause division between my family, especially when I can't speak calmly to her? 
First I had to realize it's not the person doing these things, she is being used by the devil.  Many times the devil will use other people to test your faith and they don't even know they are being used.  Once I realized that it wasn't her it was the devil, it made it easier for me to forgive the person.  Jesus said, " Forgive them Father for they know not what they do."  Luke 23:34
If God forgives me how in the world can I not forgive someone else?  So now that I realize the person is being used by the devil and I have decided to forgive the person, I was able to pray for her.  Every time you think about the person or the person name comes across your mind pray for them.  Pray, pray, and pray some more!  Now this does not mean when you've done these things you have to become best friends with the person, start hanging out with them, or that you shouldn't distance yourself from the person.  You can love a person from  distance. 
The Bible tells us to love our enemies and to pray for them. Matt 5:44   It's in there read it!