My Spirit, My Responsibility预览

A Right Spirit and Opposition

Like failure, opposition is part of life. Sometimes it can come directly through people or it can be spiritual - as though all hell has broken loose against you. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us who is against us:

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.(KJV)"

In other words, don’t try to fight things ‘down here’ if the problem is actually ‘up there’ in the heavenlies.

Sadly, sometimes opposition comes via the people from whom you’d least expect it. It’s not someone out on the edges of your life, but it could be your own brother or sister or a friend who is threatened by what God is doing in your life. When you come up against opposition, refuse to be ruled by someone in a negative way.

If I find myself preaching and suddenly all I can think about is ‘that guy’ and what he said and did and how unfair it is and I start preaching ‘at them’, then that person is far too important in my world.

Who is ruling your spirit and taking far too much of your focus in a negative way? No mature Christian who is seasoned in the Word has any reasonable excuse to live their life offended. 

Jesus told us that offenses would come. In John 16:33 Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation” but He also said, “I have overcome the world.” So if Jesus has given us the spirit of an overcomer, we have no real excuse to live our lives offended or as the victim of someone else’s opposition or pain; we are told to rule our own spirit well. 

PRAYER:  Jesus, teach me to live without offense.  Give me an overcoming spirit that is confident in you and in your ability to overcome darkness with light.