Choosing To Have an “Opposite Spirit”

But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Luke 9:55

Pastor Jonathan Martin writes this about a missionary friend in Palestine: “Sister Margaret was in the crowded village market one day when an angry man accosted her. Taking out his apparent frustration at Western military interference in the region, he began cursing her. He cursed… everything he could think of. She felt the eyes of the entire village watching. As he hurled abuse at her, she quietly prayed for wisdom. When he was finally done, Margaret responded, ‘I am so sorry I hurt you. I never had any intention of hurting you. God loves you, and I love you. He loves this village and He wants to bless you. When you get over being angry, will you remember I’m still your friend?’ Perplexed, he turned and walked away. In words that are forever etched on my soul, Margaret said, ‘Satan doesn’t know how to respond to the gentleness of God’s Spirit.’”

‘The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you…’ (Romans 8:11). How do you live out that resurrected difference when you’re with your friends? When you get unfairly bad-mouthed? To respond in love very often means not just mimicking the way that the world reacts to things, but standing solidly and being a gentle, positive opposite.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me have a spirit that drives away the spirit of anger and hatred that people have. In Jesus’ Name, Amen