Today's "From Faith To Faith" devotional by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland is SO appropriate for many people that I know right now!
When Someone Does You Wrong
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means
hurt you. Luke 10:19
Someone’s done you wrong! Sooner or later it happens to all
of us. Somewhere along the way, we all get hurt or cheated or lied to or
abused.
It’s as predictable as it is painful. Yet when it happens
most of us find ourselves strangely unprepared. In our outrage, we often cry
out to God against the one who wronged us. We ask for justice, or even
vengeance, and end up making things tougher on everyone involved—including
ourselves.
If that’s been true of you, it’s time you found out how you
can put the power of God to work for you the next time someone does you wrong.
Step one: Identify the enemy! Right here’s where the
majority of us make our biggest blunder. We mistakenly identify our enemy as
the person who hurts us. Don’t waste your energy ranting and raving or plotting
and scheming against people who cause you pain. They’re simply under
the devil’s influence. Aim your spiritual ammunition at the right target. It’s
the devil who’s behind it all. Go after him!
Step two: Fire! Once you’ve pointed your spiritual guns in
the right direction, fire! Hit the devil fast and furiously with the Word of
God. Use the Name of Jesus and the power that’s been given you as a believer
and bind the devil from doing you any further harm in that area. Then move on
to the next and most important part of this spiritual battle.
Step three: Pray the prayer of intercession. In Matthew
5:44-45, Jesus gives us these instructions: “Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is
in heaven.”
Crying out for the vengeance of God to strike like a
lightning bolt when someone does us wrong isn’t acting like our Father.
Remember, God has great, great mercy. Not just for me and you, but for
everyone!
The devil will probably think twice before he bothers you
again. Next time someone causes you pain, put the power of God to work for you.
Identify the real enemy. Hit him hard with the authority you’ve been given as a
believer. Then pray the prayer of intercession.
AMEN! Remember that LOVE NEVER FAILS (1 Corinthians 13:8)! When we choose to operate in this way, not only do we put the enemy on the run, but we also keep ourselves in position to have God continue to work on our behalf to turn our situations around! Here is Hillsong UNITED with "Highlands":Shalom in Him!
