No Place for Passivity

"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a NO on earth is NO in heaven." - Matthew 18:18 MSG
noplaceforpassivity

Recently, I broke one of my molars and had to begin the process of getting it crowned. My dentist put a temporary crown on it, but after a couple of days, it shattered badly. I had my husband, Joe, take a good look at it, knowing that he was familiar with this kind of experience, and he told me that when the temporary crown came off, it took some of my tooth with it, and there wasn’t enough tooth left for a crown. My heart sank. As I poured my heart out to the Lord about it, I sensed Him saying to me, “Are you going to accept that negative report?” I was stunned. It hadn’t occurred to me that there was another option. But a moment later, I heard myself declare out loud, “That’s a lie! I do NOT accept that evil report!” I prayed in faith that God would enable my dentist to fix my tooth the following day, and I asked one of my believing friends to stand in agreement with me. The next day, I saw my dentist, and she told me that my tooth was still perfectly intact, and that only my temporary crown had been damaged. She created a new temporary crown for me, and two weeks later, I had a beautiful new porcelain crown on my molar.

Jesus told His disciples, “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18 NLT) This principle has many applications, but in my situation that day, the Holy Spirit brought it to my remembrance in order to provoke me to stand against the negative report I got about my tooth. The Message Bible translation of this verse says, “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a NO on earth is NO in heaven.” I heard a powerful testimony from a godly man who said that when he and his wife went to the doctor to monitor her pregnancy, they were told that their baby was dead in the womb. He said that from deep within him came a loud, “NO!” He did not passively accept the doctor’s report, and that child is now well into his 40s, and he’s preaching the Gospel worldwide.

The devil and his evil cohorts are aggressive in coming against us and our loved ones, so we need to be aggressive in standing against their attacks with our faith in God and His Word. Passivity has no place in a Christ-follower’s life. So suit up with the Armor of God each day (Ephesians 6:11-17), and lay hold of the blessings and breakthroughs that He has for you!

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times that I responded passively to my circumstances. Teach me how to seek Your perspective and Your promises for every situation I face. Fill me with an attitude of expectancy that invites Your miracle-working power. Thank You that as I suit up with the Armor of God each day, and take an aggressive stance against the enemy, I will never fail to receive Your absolute best!

- J. M. Farro

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