Jesus also taught us something remarkable:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” — Matthew 5:43-45

As you pursue your goals, you will encounter obstacles. In those moments, remember not to judge or hold resentment toward others. Loving others brings peace—not only in your relationships, but also within your own mind. Inner peace and love empower you to fulfill the mission the Lord has entrusted to you.

God is Love

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” — 1 John 4:8

God showed His love through the ultimate act of sacrifice:

“This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.” — 1 John 4:9-11

Love: An Eternal Foundation

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:12-13

We learn that love is a powerful and unshakable force that allows us to accomplish the impossible.

“It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” — 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

Love is the very essence of our faith and the driving force of all spiritual success. Through love, we access eternal joy and a deeper relationship with the Lord.

The previous verses also teach us about the qualities of love—what love looks like. We discover that love is about patience and kindness, and it rejects pride, envy, and arrogance. It leaves no room for rudeness or self-centeredness. Love keeps no record of wrongs and removes irritability from our thoughts and hearts.

In essence, love rejoices in the truth, not in evil or wrongdoing. To love others means to rejoice in the truth—which, as we know, is God Himself. These principles are described in verses 4 to 6.

One of the reasons I emphasize unwavering love to overcome pain and pursue our purpose—according to the Lord’s teachings—is that the Bible teaches that love is one of the most important things. In fact, it is the greatest of all.

In the same chapter of 1 Corinthians, the final verse (verse 13) tells us:

“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

So, the Bible highlights the three essentials: faith, hope, and love. Love comes first because it is necessary for true belief. In the same way, we can only truly believe in the Lord and His teachings if we love God and others. All of His teachings are centered on loving others and accomplishing things greater than we thought possible in this world. We must therefore look at others with empathy—again, removing all judgment.

This book offers simple yet effective strategies to remove pain from your heart and discover your purpose—your calling. I believe it’s crucial to highlight how love supports this journey to success. Freeing yourself from pain starts with changing your perspective. You might think a particular person is preventing your happiness—maybe your boss, a friend, or a partner. Focusing on this idea may lead you to resent them. That resentment can turn into anger and irritation, placing you in a state of inner turmoil or unhappiness.

I’m not suggesting you accept this pain passively. Instead, I invite you to think differently. Rise above hatred and fill your heart with empathy. This shift will contribute to your well-being. If possible, you can choose to limit your interactions with the person or set boundaries that reduce their negative influence. But in any case, holding on to hatred is useless. It consumes your mind and heart to the point that it blocks your path to healing and joy. In such a state, you won’t be able to fulfill your purpose effectively, and eternal joy will drift away from you.

Proverbs 10:12 teaches us:

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all offenses.”

Hatred only magnifies problems and pain in our lives, while love rises above and helps us move forward peacefully.

In today’s society, it may be widely accepted to hate those who hurt us. Yet this is not in line with the Lord’s teachings. He asks us to love even our enemies—a powerful exhortation that means we are to love everyone. The teachings of Jesus challenge us to reevaluate what is acceptable or unacceptable in our lives.

When Jesus walked the Earth, people were deeply rooted in their religious and cultural traditions, which held great value. There were specific ways to pray, but Jesus showed them a new path—the path of truth. Still, many were unwilling to let go of their traditions, especially since those traditions benefited the religious leaders. Their opposition to Jesus became so intense that it led to His crucifixion.

Mark 7:1-3 illustrates this well:

“The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. They observed that some of His disciples were eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders.)”

Of course, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t wash our hands before eating. It simply shows how such a minor act could spark intense anger among the religious leaders of that time. Their rigid attachment to tradition blinded them from seeing beyond, and thus, from loving others.

We too must examine our own traditions and rituals. Some long-established practices may not align with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught us one prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) and made it clear that we don’t need long-winded or repetitive phrases to be heard by God (Matthew 6:5-7).

When we pray, we should do so sincerely and in private. Jesus asked us to pray in secret, alone with God, because it is in that intimacy that the Lord listens to our hearts. Prayer is not a performance—it is a way to draw near to Him.

By applying these principles, we better align our lives with Jesus’ teachings and move toward our divine purpose, led by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s now develop further the idea of being guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now that we understand how to approach prayer, we can begin to ask the Holy Spirit to help us. We can ask the Spirit to enlighten and inspire us to ask the right questions—questions that help us follow Jesus’ teachings, move toward our purpose, and draw closer to God.

As I mentioned, the road to our purpose and to God is rarely straight. It is filled with ups and downs. In tough times, we’ll need support—from friends, family, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us identify problems and find solutions. But to receive this support, we must be ready to face uncomfortable truths and ask questions that may make us uneasy.

We cannot simply seek comfort in life, because comfort alone will keep us from reaching our full potential. When we struggle (and even when we don’t), we must take time to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. Again, this means allowing the Lord to be a permanent host in our mind, heart, and soul—not just a guest. We must let God direct all our thoughts.

Only by adopting this posture can we be enlightened to ask the right questions and envision possibilities that once seemed impossible or unrealistic. The Lord can open paths we thought were blocked.

The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers and supports us in our weaknesses:

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.” — Romans 8:26

We must recognize that without God, we are weak. Without Him, we don’t know how to overcome our weaknesses and reach eternal joy. But when we welcome the Holy Spirit as a host within us—mind, heart, and soul—our weakness can be overcome. The Holy Spirit interacts with God on our behalf and helps us ask for what we truly need, even if we don’t realize it.

This passage also shows that the Holy Spirit speaks to God in a way that transcends words:

“And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” — Romans 8:27

This verse confirms that the Holy Spirit helps us fulfill our purpose in harmony with God’s plan for us. The Lord, who knows our thoughts, also understands perfectly what the Spirit communicates to Him on our behalf.

Faith and Endurance in Trials

Our faith in God must remain strong, even in difficult times. When we struggle to find the right path, we must trust that the Holy Spirit will lead us. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). By trusting Him, studying His teachings, and living according to His principles, we will overcome our challenges and see pain disappear.

Finding a purpose and working toward it may seem overwhelming. But remember: it’s not a linear process. Challenges along the way are inevitable—but they can be overcome…

This text is an extract from the book “HEAVEN’S SECRET” written by GUERRICK MAKENGO.

We invite you to read the next article: “The Sphere of Influence of Finances and Business.”

Loving Your Enemies. Loving Your Enemies. Loving Your Enemies. Loving Your Enemies.

Loving Your Enemies. Loving Your Enemies. Loving Your Enemies. Loving Your Enemies.