Philippians 1:28-30New Living Translation (NLT)
28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
How do pray in the focus of opposition?
How do I keep my focus on Jesus and things of heaven when it seems likethere’s so many things that distract and oppose me?
Struggling can be par for the course. It happens because there always has been opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But when opposition rears its ugly head as you try to move ahead spiritually, here are some great thoughts from Psalm 37.
Psalm 37:3-7New Living Translation (NLT)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
Here are four things you can do to keep your eyes on heaven, as you pray in the face of opposition:
TRUST in the Lord. Realize that God knows exactly what He is doing. Regardless of how things might look – you can trust Him.
DELIGHT in the Lord – enjoy the Lord.. fall deeply in love with Jesus every day. Realize He wants so much to have a relationship with you. Delight in Him.
COMMIT all you do to/for the Lord. He will bless you if you will take what’s on your plate, in your hands, on your mind and possibly laying heavily upon your heart.. commit these things.. give these things into the Lord’s hands. When you/we do this, it says we will radiate and shine for Him. People will see a difference in how we respond, they will be able to tell that we’ve been with Jesus. Commit your spiritual life, your finances, your family, your body and health - commit everything you have/do to the Lord.
BE STILL in His presence. It first implies we must take time to be in His presence. Now God is everywhere all the time, but what I think this means is for us to stop of our busyness and recognize the Lord is here and then slowwwww down. Wait for Him to act. Waiting patiently doesn’t mean no action on our part, rather, it’s describing a posture or position of trust. Keep your eyes upon Jesus and follow hard after Him. Have no other worries.
So today and this week as you go out to school, jobs, the market place, visiting family or friends and when opposition faces you, TRUST, DELIGHT, COMMIT AND BE STILL!
