Why You Should Bless Those Who Curse You
When people use us, abuse us, and accuse us, we often have a knee-jerk reaction. We get angry and may “vent” to people. We may choose to defend ourselves and accuse the accuser. But that’s a mistake because, in doing so, we are taking vengeance into our own hands. If you need to tell one or two people what someone did to you for the sake of prayer and counsel, I believe that is permissible in the Lord’s eyes. But we should not use our mouths to return evil for evil. We should use our mouths to pray.
Jesus said, “Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44, KJV). How do you pray for people who wrong you, you ask? Some pray that God would rebuke them or lift up “get ’em God!” prayers. That’s not the right spirit. You need to move in the opposite spirit. When you pray for those who spitefully use you, you need to get to a place where you can pray for them like you would your closest friend.
Admittedly, that’s not easy at first. But if you stick with it, you will get there. God will give you grace to pray rightly when you obey. You’ll start to take pity on your persecutors, knowing they are going to reap what they sowed if they don’t repent. You’ll tap into God’s heart for them, which is for restoration. You’ll stop being the judge and start being the intercessor.
The late Martin Luther King Jr. wrote these wise words: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Jesus gave us another command in the Sermon on the Mount that’s difficult for many people to practice: “Bless those who curse you” (Matt. 5:44). Let’s put this into perspective. To bless someone, essentially, is to say good things about them. By contrast, to curse is to say evil things about them.
Some people pray imprecatory prayers against those who have done them wrong. Imprecatory prayers are also known as cursing prayers—and we often find David praying them in the Psalms. David prayed for his enemy’s teeth to be broken and for their names to be blotted out of the Book of Life. Intense!
But we have a revelation David didn’t: We’re not wrestling against flesh and blood, not really (Eph. 6). Although the enemy may inspire flesh and blood— difficult people—to harm us, we must direct our warfare prayers against the enemy, binding his hand in our lives while blessing the people who are under his sway. I say it this way, “Bless the people. Bind the devil.” When you do, you maintain your authority in the spirit because you are acting like Jesus, who delegated His authority to you.
Ask God to bless them, give them revelation, and help them receive His love. Bless their family. Bless their finances. Bless their bodies. Bless their minds. Bless their spirits. Stand in a posture of blessing, and you’ll find God’s blessings in your life. Sow blessings and reap blessings. First Peter 3:9 tells us, “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
To learn more about Jennifer LeClaire’s latest book, Vindicated, visit MyCharismaShop.com