Saturday 1 October 2011

Blessing our Enemies?

Dearest Saints,

As I was watching a program recently, I truly learned a message I needed to give serious thought to. I have to admit that I have spoken curses against several ungodly events that often takes place. I compared myself to an individual who was interviewed about doing the same thing. This Christian indicated that each day, as he drove past a certain strip joint, he always spoke curses against it in order to condemn their actions and remove this disgusting night club from continuing to exist. However, as he drove by week after week, month after month and finally year after year, he always spoke curses against it and found that his efforts were seemingly futile! He later approached a mature Christian friend of his and asked why God wasn't answering his prayer to condemn and close up this strip joint? This friend of his mentioned something profound. He mentioned to him that it was not Gods will that we should ever curse, even though these events are most evil in the sight of God. He mentions in James 3:11 that sweet waters and bitter waters should not be flowing out of the same fountain. God even instructs us to bless our enemies!! What?? Why would we dare want to see our enemies prosper in what they were doing? The problem with this question is that this is the wrong mentality thinking in the first place. When this gentleman was giving instruction about blessing those who were obviously doing anything but Gods will, he mentions that when we bless them, we are joining our heart with the heart of God. Also, when we are instructed to bless them, it does not mean that they financially or inheritently prosper in the business they are in and continue to do the things that may be an abomination to God. But when we truly bless them, we are praying that God will in fact change their heart and become the type of people who would long to come to know Christ and in the power of His resurrection, just like the Apostle Paul yearned for (Phil 3:10). So when this particular person realized this, he started to speak blessings upon the people running this night club every time he drove by and no longer speaks curses against it. It was only a week later when he started to speak blessings over this building, that this strip joint was closing up and was already on the market for a new business to replace it.

Therefore, what has happened was the fact that we may have a totally wrong mentality when it comes to speaking a blessing upon the enemies of God and the evil of this world. We are not speaking blessings to cause them to prosper that will cause them to attain further worldly gain, but in fact, the opposite may happen in order to allow the hearts of these people to turn to God and become the person God wants them to be in the first place. Just like the story of Jonah, who wanted this wicked nation of Ninevah to be destroyed because of all the evil which took place in that nation. God didn't want to destroy this nation, but the hearts of this nation to be changed. God wanted to use Jonah to go there and be a blessing to this nation by turning the hearts of these people to God. When we do speak blessings upon our enemies, I know the results will be much better when we do the will of God and bless our enemies and leave the results in His capable hands. What I had learned from the error of my ways is that we often associate blessings with financial prosperity and living with a life of ease and being merry and never encountering any problems or difficulties. However, when we join our heart with God and speak blessings upon our enemies and the enemies of God who are obviously not living according to His will, we actually are allowing God to do whatever He needs to do to turn the hearts of these people to Him. It may result in unfortunate incidents as the world may know, but if our heart is in line with Gods heart, our motive would be that God would do what He knows to do to the exact measure to turn the hearts of people to Him with the hope that destruction would not have to take place in peoples lives. God is gracious to us because He tells us that we don't often receive what our sins deserve (Psalm 103:10). Therefore, His will is obviously that the outsiders would not be penalized to the point of the measure of their sins either. I want to encourage each of us to be like people whom God can say of us that we are people after Gods own heart to go that extra mile to speak blessings to our enemies so that they too can know the goodness of God and become people of God. Just as their is power in agreement of prayers, it is therefore powerful when we get in agreement with God (Matt 18:19) and bless our enemies (Matt 5:44) so we can watch God move on their behalf.

It is especially true when I take time to remember the mercies I always receive from God in an awesome way, it is only then that I am able to give that same measure of mercy to others in their time of need.

Psalm 103:10 He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.


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In the Matchless Name of Jesus
Richard
Associate Director
Answers2Prayer
http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife
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