Loving the Wicked? Why Mercy Is the Most Powerful Weapon You Have
Bible Study | Luke 6:35
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting none in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be sons of the Most High. Because He is kind to the unthankful and wicked.”
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting none in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be sons of the Most High. Because He is kind to the unthankful and wicked.”
Role of Intercession
There’s a kind of warfare that doesn’t scream or shout.
It weeps.
It pleads.
It falls facedown and dares to cry out, “Father… forgive them.”
And hell hates it.
Because mercy disarms the accuser.
Mercy echoes the cross.
Mercy crushes the serpent.
But if you’ve ever dared to pray for the wicked, you’ve probably heard it:
“Why are you praying for them?”
“You’re just enabling evil.”
“Yahweh hates them—He’ll hate you too.”
“You should be calling down judgment, not mercy.”
I’ve heard those whispers—not just in my thoughts, but deep in my spirit.
It’s the enemy trying to shame me out of compassion.
Trying to whisper in quiet moments, “Does God’s word really say that?”
Trying to convince me that loving the unlovable is betrayal.
That interceding is weakness.
That mercy makes me a traitor to righteousness.
But that’s a lie straight from the pit of hell.
Because Yahweh Himself—righteous, consuming fire—is also compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness.
“But You, O יהוה, are a compassionate Ěl, and showing favour, patient and great in kindness and truth.”
— Tehillim/Psalm 86:15 (TSR2009)
Jonah Preaching
to the People of Niniveh, 1645
| Painting by Salvator Rosa
When the Accuser Shames You for Interceding
The enemy’s title—ha’satan—literally means “the accuser.”
And when you stand in the gap as an intercessor, you take the opposite posture: you cry for mercy. You stand between the guilty and the throne, not pretending they’re innocent, but pleading for grace anyway.
That’s what makes hell tremble.
Because that’s what Yahushua did.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
— Luke 23:34 (TSR2009)
Even as He was being tortured, stripped, mocked, and crucified—Yahushua's mouth was full of mercy. And we, if we claim to follow Him, must walk as He walked.
Stephen: The Martyr of Mercy
When Stephen was stoned, he didn’t fight back.
He saw the heavens open—and still, with blood dripping down his face, he echoed the Son:
“Master, do not hold this sin against them.”
— Ma‘asei/Acts 7:60 (TSR2009)
Mercy was his final weapon. His final breath was an intercession.
And the very one approving of Stephen’s murder? Saul—who became Paul.
Who wrote most of the New Testament.
Who carried the gospel to the nations.
Because someone prayed for the wicked.
Do you see it?
Mercy doesn’t erase justice. It creates the opportunity for redemption.
THIS Kind of Love
It’s this kind of love and compassion that Yahweh has for us that saves us while we are in sin, the love that chases us down while we are still in the depths of drinking, drugging, fornicating, or whatever your drug of choice was, THIS is the love that saved you from yourself.
THIS is the love that reaches into the pit and pulls us out while we’re still covered in the filth we chose. This is the love that doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up.
It’s the love that finds you at the bar.
In the bed.
With the bottle.
On the floor.
In the lie.
In the rage.
In the shame.
In the depths.
And instead of turning away, Yahweh leans in, and Yeshua comes running!
“But Elohim proves His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.”
— Romans 5:8 (TSR2009)
It’s that relentless, mercy-soaked love that saves us not just from sin…
But from ourselves.
Because left to ourselves, we self-destruct.
Left to our own desires, we ruin everything.
But Yahweh didn’t wait. He came running.
This is the love that makes demons scream.
Because it can’t be bought. It can’t be earned.
It can’t be intimidated, lied to, and most importantly—it cannot be stopped!
Mercy Is Not Agreement. It's Alignment.
We’re not excusing wickedness when we pray for the wicked.
We’re aligning with the heart of Yahweh—the One who delays judgment so that more might be saved.
“יהוה is not slow in regard to the promise… but is patient toward us, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
— Kĕpha Bĕt/2 Peter 3:9 (TSR2009)
We pray for them not because they deserve it, but because we didn’t either.
That’s the gospel. That’s the power.
That’s what makes mercy the most dangerous weapon in the Kingdom.
The Apostle, Saint Peter
When Shame Whispers: War Back
When the enemy whispers:
“He will hate you too.”
Speak this aloud:
“I am hidden in the mercy of Yahushua. His love in me is not betrayal—it’s obedience.”
The temptation of Adam and Eve 1550
by Titian
When the voice accuses:
“You’re praying for what God hates.”
Respond:
“I am not praying for their sin. I am praying for their salvation.”
Because Yahweh hates sin—but He loved the world enough to send His Son while we were still sinners.
And if He loved us then, we can love them now.
So Next The Enemy Comes Accusing, Remember, This Is the Love That Saved You from Yourself
This is the kind of love Yahweh has for you.
Not a distant, judgmental love.
Not a clean-you-up-afterward love.
But the kind that chases you down while you’re still in it.
Still drinking.
Still drugging.
Still fornicating.
Still angry.
Still numb.
Still bleeding from your own self-inflicted wounds.
Whatever your drug of choice was—He came for you there.
This is the love that found you in the dirt.
Not to shame you. Not to destroy you.
But to pull you out and hold you close.
This is the love that saves us while we’re still drowning.
That interrupts the overdose.
That stands in the hotel room.
That knocks on the prison wall.
That breaks through the silence of self-hatred.
This is the love that saves you from yourself.
And it’s this same love that He places inside of us—
To pray for others.
To stand in the gap.
To forgive the unforgivable.
To reflect His mercy, because we were once the wicked.
We were the ones people gave up on.
But Yahweh didn’t—and He never will.
And Here We Find Grace…
GRACE perfectly encapsulates the transition from striving, to resting, in God's presence—which is at the heart of the message. Grace is the unmerited favor of God, and it's through His grace that we are able to move from struggle to peace. I invite you to pause and reflect on God's presence, how you can connect to God’s grace in a meaningful way.
Our GRACE Method™ is meant to encourage you so you can experience YHWH, Immanuel, and the Holy Spirit, in a deeper way, on a regular basis, through thought provoking Bible Study, Prayer, education, and Worship.
G – Grounding in Scripture
Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting none in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be sons of the Most High. Because He is kind to the unthankful and wicked.”
R – Reflecting on Context
Yahushua didn’t call us to a comfortable love. He called us to the cross. To intercede as He did.
Stephen’s final breath opened the door for Paul’s transformation. Our prayers might unlock desires and destinies, and they shut doors on despairs we’ll never see!
A – Applying to Your Life
Who do you struggle to pray for right now?
What lies has the enemy spoken when you’ve tried to show mercy?
How can you respond like Yahushua—bold in truth, yet soaked in love?
C – Communing with God
Ask Yahweh to give you His heart for the wicked. Ask Him to show you the difference between righteous hatred of sin and holy love for souls.
E – Exalting God
Praise Him for being a Father of compassion. Praise Him for loving you when you were far off. And praise Him for entrusting you with the sacred burden of intercession.
Declaration
I will not be shamed for reflecting Yahushua.
I will not silence my prayers for the lost.
Mercy is my weapon, and love is my war cry.
In Yahushua’s Name, I will intercede—
Even when it hurts.
Even when it costs.
Even when the enemy screams.
Because my Father is mercy.
And I am His child.
Share Your Faith
Have you ever been shamed for showing mercy? Has Yahweh softened your heart toward someone you once hated? Share your story. Someone else is fighting the same battle—and your words may set them free.
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