It is amazing that the same Bible comforts us is the same Bible that confronts us to be Christ-like. Tough question “but I get a bit confused about blessing her... praying for a blessing for her to hurt me the more? A blessing for her empowerment to inflict more harm on me????” Matthew 5:43-48 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”47… Do not even pagans do that? Our walk with Christ as Born-again Christians is very challenging. We have the I work in an industry( Highway Engineering) that is male dominated and that is white dominated due to the past apartheid regime. To be a female black woman is like a double curse. So I know as long as I am there I will be hurt more than once. I may be abused “I thought you are a professional look at you” But this verse tells me “If I don’t pray for the white man who is treating me as a minority” what is the difference between me and the person who is not born again. I am a fighter. I was taught that “If someone steps on your toes chop the foot so that he will never step on you again” But isn’t that what the non-born again do. I do pray that my white boss lives long and prospers so that I can learn more and more from him. I know he is going to hurt me. But I will still pray for him. Personally I have come a long way where I lived a life of bitterness and anger. And if I pray to bless you, and you hurt me again, I bless you and your hurt me again.. Prayer for blessing is much better than bitterness and resentment. Bitterness is like a prison and I cannot go back. In Matthew 5:43-48 Christ is saying here: If you don’t bless those who have hurt you, what is the difference between you and the people who are not born again. The people of the world believe in “an eye for an eye” but as those who have been washed by the precious blood of Jesus we are to not only forgive but bless those who hurt us. Another verse that came to me was Matthew 6:12-13. This is how our Lord Jesus taught us how to pray. “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” Verse 12 is not a plea of excellence/self-righteousness, but a plea of grace. You are saying Oh God help me to bless those who have hurt me. You go to God for the forgiveness of your sins against Him, thus you too must make conscience of forgiving and blessing those who have offended you, else you curse yourself when you say the Lords Prayer. Verse 13 says Lead me not into temptation of not forgiving and blessing my perpetrators, deliver me from the evil one who will tell you. One thing the devil does is to create fear. Therefore the devil is saying “A blessing for her empowerment to inflict more harm on me” If you don’t bless him/her you are bringing a curse upon yourself. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. It is only with power from the Holy Spirit, the Love of God and man he places in your heart and a sound mind that you are able to bless those who hurt you. Zechariah 4:6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. It is through his Spirit can you be able to bless those who hurt you. Beyond that, intercede as the Holy Spirit leads you until you feel a release in your spirit. Further to that, As for the person who has hurt you, well, she/he’s likely to be blessed with some conviction from the Holy Spirit, and your prayers pave the way for you to grow in the character of Christ as you guard your heart from bitterness. When you bless those who have hurt you, you not allow the root of bitterness to set in your heart. Hebrews 12:15 (NKJV) looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; Not blessing those who have hurt us is vengeance. Romans 12:19 (NKJV) Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.It is our responsibility to overcome evil with good, and speaking words of blessing is one way to do that. If we bless those who hurt us, God will take full responsibility for whatever punishment should be administered to offenders. One prayer I always place on the wall of my office is the Serenity Prayer. This Prayer will help you too. God grant me the serenity (This a plea for grace and peace) to accept the things I cannot change; (It is his/her nature to say/do hurtful things) courage to change the things I can; (I can change my response through forgiveness letting go and blessing her) and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; (I will accept being hurt as a hardship, as my Lord Jesus Christ did so) Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right (His grace is sufficient, Not by power nor by might but by his spirit saith the Lord. if I surrender to His Will; ( Surrender to his Will when you bless him or her) That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 08:41:13 +0000
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