When God punishes a nation

God led me in His word these last couple of days, even bringing me back to the same passage in Ezekiel 21...I knew God wanted to show me something, so I read and I re-read and it dawned on me...when God punishes a nation, he punishes both the righteous and the wicked. The Lord's sword comes against everyone when He punishes a nation.

"and say to it: This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you." 

~•Ezekiel 21:3

That's why I believe we should pray fervently for our nations, our leaders.

Abba Yahweh is a merciful God, that is why He relents His punishment when the nation repents of their sin.  God's word tells us to pray for our leaders.  Even if you don't agree with the leader of your country or don't even like him, that does not matter, what matters is that you pray for him.  If the leader of your country is your enemy, Jesus says love them, pray for them, bless them!
Not curse them like I see so many doing online and then I'm speaking about Christians!  Are they not reading the Word of God or are they reading, but ignoring some of the Word of God?

Folks, if we don't love our enemies, we're in trouble.  We can't even love those in our family, how then can we love our enemies?  We seriously need to check our hearts and get right with God.  Pray and ask Him to clean up our hearts and to fill it with His love for all people.  He will do it!
We are to be a LIGHT to this dark world, not part of the darkness.

Bless and be blessed

Christians, when your enemies revile you, do not revile back.  Rather bless them!  Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute you.  And if we must do this for our enemies, how much more when the reviling is coming from Christians.  We have been called to be a blessing, so that we can receive the blessings of God.  (When I wrote that on a Christian page, a meanie Christian 'yelled' at me that it is not in the Bible, that I must have gotten that line from a prosperity pastor's book! lol ;) ) That verse (1 Peter 3:9) I was gleaning that from, is talking about temporal and spiritual blessings.

God promises us in His word that He will provide our needs.  God blesses us also spiritually with peace of mind, our sins forgiven and assurance that we have everlasting life!  Our God is a good God.  He thinks good thoughts toward us. 
When we fear Him and walk in His ways, He blesses us.  I am not talking prosperity gospel here, but God does want to bless us.
The Bible says to delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

I know I'm stuck on this topic of praying for our enemies, blessing them, but I am just so in awe of the love of our God and I want to walk in obedience to Him.  It was just such an eye-opener when God led me to these scriptures the first time.  So many Christians are not doing what Jesus said, to pray for, love and bless all people, even our enemies.  They get mad at me when I write about it. :(  And it's not my words!  It's the word of God!  I also never used to pray for my enemies, but that all changed when I got saved and God started working on my heart.
So forgive me if I keep talking about this topic. :)

John Gill writes the following commentary on "that you may inherit a blessing":

Referring either to what goes before being called by grace to the discharge of all the above duties exhorted to, and particularly to suffer patiently all injuries and affronts; and instead of making returns in the same way, to bless and pray for those that have hurt us, either by words or deeds; see ( 1 Peter 2:20 1 Peter 2:21 ) or to what follows, that ye should inherit a blessing; temporal blessing or blessings; for godliness has the promise of this life and godly persons shall not want any good thing; and even while the blessings of others are cursed they have their outward mercies with a blessing, and they are blessings indeed to them; wherefore, the little they may have is better than the large affluence of others: and also spiritual blessing, or blessings; such as peace of conscience, the pardon of all their sins a justifying righteousness adopting grace, all supplies of grace from Christ, his presence and communion with him: and also an eternal one, even life for evermore; called so, because it springs from the free favour, good will, and blessing of God, and which its being an inheritance also shows; and because such that enjoy it are eternally and unspeakably happy.

"not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."
~•1 Peter 3:9

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
~•Jeremiah 29:11

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
~•Psalm 37:4

Are we doing what Jesus commands us to do?

Jesus' words!

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, 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,
45 that you may be sons of your Father 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.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
~•Matthew 5:43-48

An example how to love your enemy....read about where apostle Stephen was being stoned to death. He prayed for them while being killed! He asked God to not charge them with that sin!

"When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
~•Acts 7:54-60

But most important of all is our Jesus who gives us the perfect example of how to love our enemies....when He was dying on the cross He prayed the Father to forgive them for they know not what they do.

"And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
~•Luke 23:33-34

Then I come on the internet and see Christians' comments on articles and many of them are full of hatred, condemning people to hell! Is that what our Lord Jesus wants from us? That is totally contradicting Jesus' commandments to us. Let us get back to the Bible and pray continuously, for all people, our governments, our loved ones and friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for their faith in the Lord Jesus, our enemies, therefore we shall be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect, just like Jesus said! God bless you and keep us strong in these evil days to stand for the truth of His word.

ISIS beheads 21 Egyptian Christians 

One of the Christians praying before being beheaded