If
we are interested, God will teach us His ways and help us to walk on His paths
(Psalm 25:4). He forgives us, defends us, provides for us and takes revenge for
us on those who inflict harm on us in any way.
God
takes the persecution of His Saints personally and He will avenge His own (Acts
9:4; Romans 12:19). It is easier for us to forgive others when we know that God
will take them off our hook and put them firmly on His.
They
will not escape their punishment from Him (Luke 17:2). Our forgiveness of them
does not exonerate them from the wrong they perpetrated on us, but it frees us
from being in bondage to them through our unforgiveness.
When
we exact the revenge our self, it shows a lack of faith in God's protective
care for us. We do not believe God cares or can make the person pay for what
they did or said to us.
Attempting
to vindicate our self leads us into trouble which often makes matters worse and
leaves us more vulnerable than ever before (Deuteronomy 32:35-36; Romans 12:19;
Hebrews 10:30).
When
we view life from a temporal rather than an eternal viewpoint, we often think
that God is taking too long to make things right.
We
also overlook our call from God to function in the ministry of reconciliation
(Ephesians 1:18), and that we are filled with God's Spirit and firmly established
in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
God's
Spirit gives us the advantage in life by providing us with power in spiritual
warfare, which is where much of our abuse by others is initiated (Mark
3:14-15).
Prayer:
Father
God, open the eyes of our understanding and enlighten us of Your exceeding
power within us. Show us the glory of our inheritance with Your Saints
(Ephesians 1:18-20). Open our eyes and spiritual ears and teach us to walk in
Your Spirit. Teach us to draw our strength, wisdom and grace from Your Spirit
who abides within us.
Thank
You for removing us from the Kingdom of darkness and freeing us from Satan's
bondage over our life through Christ in us. Reveal to us the extent of Your
power within us and teach us how to use it for Your glory and to further Your
Kingdom on the earth.
Thought
for the Day:
Our
lack of power in our Christian walk stems from the fact that we do not fully
understand our identity in Christ and the power of His Spirit within us.
