WHEN OPPOSITION COMES

Rom. 12:14 If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that the Lord will bless them.  NLT

      Being a Christian is not always easy in a world that is populated and ruled by non-Christians. Selfishness abounds everywhere, in all walks of life. When sin rules the heart of man, there is a resistance to the Gospel and those who carry it in their hearts. There is constant spiritual warfare going on and those who are not in Christ will do everything they can to squelch or destroy those who are in Christ. It has always been this way, and it always will be until Jesus returns to judge the world and purge it of sin.

      So, what are we to do to those who are out to make our lives miserable or even destroy us? We are to pray for them! We are not to pray for them to be harmed; we are to pray for the Lord to bless them. Wow! It doesn't seem right or fair to be asked to pray for our enemies, but that is exactly what we are to do. We are to ask the Lord to bless them. What does that mean?

       Ask the Lord to bless them with a heart open to the Gospel. Ask the Lord to bless them with a softened heart. Ask Him to bless them with a heart of compassion. Ask the Lord to be gracious and merciful to them that they might have an opportunity to hear and receive the Gospel. Ask the Lord to bless them with life and not death.

      When we ask the Lord to bless those who would persecute us, it not only opens the door for the Lord to minister to their hearts, it also ministers to our hearts. When we are praying for the good of others, it changes our attitude and heart for them. Instead of wanting revenge, we want love for them. The Lord changes us so that we will have a heart like the heart of God, a heart of love for those who would persecute us.

      A word of caution, don't pray for those who are against you, if you don't want the Lord to change you. Prayer changes us so that we can deal with life in a manner that pleases God. If you don't want God to help you handle those who persecute you in a godly way, don't bother to pray. 

      Also, don’t bother to pray if you have vengeance on your mind.  Let the Lord make things right.  Instead, pray for the Lord to make himself known to those who would persecute you or make life miserable for you and to graciously work in their lives to save and sanctify their souls.