Verses like these seem nearly impossible to obey. And so intimidating that we’re tempted to skip over them and pretend they don’t exist. Here’s one example:

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28 ESV).

Many of you have been hurt in ways I can only imagine. (I’m truly sorry for what you’ve suffered.) Yet as difficult as it is to read Jesus’ words, He was speaking to you, too. Perhaps especially to you.

When our pain is still raw, when the person who has hurt us doesn’t seem the least bit sorry, we find it so much easier to close our ears (and heart) to Jesus’ words. But notice the first part of verse 27, “But I say to you who ‘hear.”’

Are we listening? Or are we so afraid to listen that we act as if we can’t hear our Father’s voice?

As impossible as it may seem, we who have been hated, cursed, and abused, must listen to what God is saying to us. When we hear (and obey) His Word, we gain the ability to destroy what the devil is using to break us.

Bitterness, resentment and rage have kept us imprisoned long enough. We need to change the way we process our pain. I’m not saying we should remain in an abusive situation. I’m saying that rather than to allow what has happened to us to cause further devastation, let’s ask God to help us do “the impossible” and love those who have hurt us.

Perhaps we can begin by asking God to help us apply Luke 6:27-28 to those who have hurt us by praying something like, “God, I don’t want to forgive (name of person who has hurt you). Help me take the first step toward obeying You.”

Even if we do this reluctantly at first, only because God’s Word tells us to, we’ll discover unexpected peace as we break free from Satan’s control.

And hopefully, as we grow in our desire to obey God’s Word, we’ll skip over fewer and fewer verses.