Many of the regions we work have been steeped in decades of violence. Militant groups capitalize on this culture by actively recruiting among the youth, offering them paid positions in rebel groups and using education to try to convince them to join extremist causes. When all else fails, they resort to threats of violence against a family or community.
One of the most effective ways of combatting this is education, but not just any education. In this region we have taken the counterintuitive approach of teaching the youth about the concept of loving their enemies. Making this choice, for many of them, is not an easy one to make. Most of them have lost family members to violence, within a culture where killings are expected to be avenged.
In this video, I’m on location where the fruit of this choice has also been undeniable. By choosing to love their enemies, and choosing peace, the community has transformed. In a matter of years their development has outpaced neighboring villages. Because of the value of peace in the community, organizations and government agencies have been able to build the largest school building in their region and install running water. Nearby armed groups who once recruited among their village are now dwindling in number due to an uptick in violence and are beginning to see the merit in choosing a different path.
To learn more about my teaching on loving your enemies, you can purchase my Love Your Enemy 30 day prayer guide which is available on Amazon.
To learn more about Love Your Enemy, or to download a free 7 day guide visit https://in-fire.org/lye