Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of His grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them" (Acts 14:1-3).
In our days, as in the days of Paul and Barnabas in the city of Iconium, there will be opposition to the Word and the Spirit of God in any city where the presence and power of God is on the move. Those whose minds are blinded to the truth of the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ, will resist and riot, stirring up strife, and trying to poison minds and harden hearts. But like Paul and Barnabas, we must keep "speaking boldly for the Lord."
When we're speaking boldly for the Lord, we're speaking against the so-called "god of this world (who) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). "For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).
As we speak boldly for the Lord, He moves in His power and displays His glory. He begins to "testify to the word of His grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through (the Body and the Bride of Christ)" in our city and our world, beginning in our hearts and then changing the heart of our city (Acts 14:3).
It takes a city-wide church to win a city-wide war. It takes a growing unity of the Body and the Bride of Christ, living by the Spirit of Christ, shining with the light of Christ in the midst of the darkness of our world. Just as Christ is "the Light of the world" (John 8:12), so we are "the light of the world" with the Light of Christ shining through us, pushing back the darkness and opening up the heavens wherever we are (Matthew 5:14).
We don't cast out the principalities and powers and ruling authorities of the kingdom of darkness over our cities like we would cast out a demon. And we don't pull down spiritual strongholds by pulling down people or burning down buildings or coming down to the level of the spiritual forces of evil that seek to divide us and destroy us. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (of the spiritual realm around us)" (Ephesians 6:12).
No, we displace principalities by living in the opposite spirit, by the power and the grace of God living in us. We expose sources of evil and their lies and dispel them with truth by being a source of light in our communities in the darkness, not by imitating forces of darkness and being a source that deepens the darkness in our communities.. Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5). "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good" (Romans 12:21).
We need to be the ones opposed in our cities and oppose the “Caesars” of this world as Jason did, “When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:6-7)
Come Jesus! Holy Spirit. Empower us -- in our hearts and our cities -- to walk in the opposite spirit than the spirit of the world around us, to shine with the light of the glory of God that pushes back the darkness. By Your Word and Your Spirit, may we live our lives to honor Christ in the opposite spirit of the world, so that "now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him" (Ephesians 3:10-12). In Jesus' I pray. Amen.
My family, may you be empowered by the love and grace of God to live in the opposite spirit than the spirit of the world, as the Lord confirms and displays His glory through His Word and His Spirit in your life and your city, in Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
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