Praying for your opposition

So if you have lived any amount of time on earth you have no doubt at some point run into someone you didn't like. You've either worked with someone, played on a team with someone, lived next door to someone, or even been related to someone that pushes your buttons. Well, you know as a believer that you are to love them the same way you love yourself. Those are Jesus' exact words, but what about when you have loved them as yourself, when you have done all that you can do and they still rub you the wrong way? Well, pray for them.
Now I know when you are angry at someone, or someone has done something wrong to you that there is temptation to be mad at them when praying. But prayer, is not a weapon or a tool to be used against your enemies. If anything it is a weapon to be used for your enemies. Pray for them, pray for them to have a change of heart, for God to soften your heart in a way that you can be used to reach them with the Gospel message.
Jesus talks about this in John 17:17 "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."
Jesus was trying to reach everyone he came in contact with but, they resisted. As a matter of fact many of them were completely against Him and seemingly they were His enemies. They were plotting for His capture and eventual death. Jesus had tried to share with them, He had preached to many of them, and He had prayed for them. In this verse we see JEsus' prayer for many of them in His own words. He doesn't pray any harm to come to them, He simply prays that God will spare them from the works of Satan. He knows that if they will simply turn away from their sins, and accept Him they will be changed people.
That is what we should want for our enemies, changed lives. Not anger, not hate, not revenge or even competition but changed lives. We should be praying daily for those who are against us, and praying that God will spare them from Satan and his work. If we pray like this our enemies will start looking a lot less like enemies, and when God does answer that prayer you will have been a part of affecting heaven with your heart and soul.
So pray for your enemies, love them, and see God change them for the better.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!