We are able

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ~1 Peter 3:14 (NIV)

It takes preparation to be obedient and do the will of God every day.  We have to be in constant communication with Him and walking in the Holy Spirits power for God to work out His will through us.  We must be ready to forego what we want to say or do and be consistently ready to submit, and to do only what God would have us to do.  To do that we have to know how God expects us to walk each day out and that is very easy.  He says walk the love walk.   He says be patient and kind, forgive and forget, always be willing to go the extra mile and share what you have, in other words…get you off your mind.  When we are the center of our focus, then we can be sure that our mind isn’t on what God would have us to be doing.  We can’t let what others say or do cause us to struggle.  We have to understand that what others are up to is really between them and the Lord.  Our call is a big one and it is to love without ceasing and that means no time for a break in our love walk with anybody.  In ourselves we are not capable of loving the unlovely, of turning the other cheek, or suffering injustice without retaliating.  But when we lean on the Holy Spirit and let Him be Lord of the outcome, God promises in 1 Peter 3:14 that if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.  We must remember God’s word to us in Romans 12:19 “’It is mine to avenge; I will repay’, says the Lord.” (NIV) The truth according to Gods word is that our battle is not with “flesh and blood” anyway but against principalities and powers in heavenly realms.  You might think your spouse’s bad attitude is the problem, but attitudes are influenced.  That is why more often than not, praying for people is much more productive than confronting them.

The bible teaches we are to expect adversity, but we are also told to expect God’s blessing in our lives if we bear up under that adversity.  Paul says in Philippians 3:16 “Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” (NIV) That means we need to quit backsliding into those old unlovely habits.  God doesn’t expect us to be super-human without Him.  He says we can do everything He has called us to do in Him.  He says in all that “everything”, we are more than conquerors.  To me “more than a conqueror” is one of the most awesome terms God uses to describe us in the New Testament.  A conqueror is someone who gains control or subdues their enemies.  We are more than conquerors because Jesus has gained control and subdued our enemy for us.  We don’t have to listen to the enemy’s lies anymore.  We can love the unlovely and we can do well to the undeserving and we can make a difference in our generation because if God is for us who can be against us?  He says nobody!  We walk in a victory won for us without us ever even having to go to battle and we can thank Jesus for that!  The only thing we have to do is to walk in confident faith that the battle has already been won by our Lord and He says that victory is ours.  With that victory, we are able to step out and love without hesitation. Every forethought should be that Christ is in us and by His Holy Spirit He is enabling us to live a life that glorifies God completely!

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory. ~1 Corinthians 10:31 (ISV)

When have you suffered for doing right? Did you find the hidden blessing in it?

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