Message of Encouragement Monday (MOEM #021)
I watched an interview recently with a Catholic Bishop named Robert Barron. I found the interview fascinating. The Bishop offered a lot of good food for thought and one of the things he said that really made me think was in regard to Matthew Chapter 16, verse 18. In that verse, Jesus said to Peter, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Bishop Barron went on to point out that this verse shows us that God’s Kingdom, God’s church, and God’s people cannot be stopped. In this dark world that is filled with many evil things, the gates of hell absolutely will not prevail against us. We see right now, perhaps more than ever, how divided this world is. We see a battle raging between good and evil. But, as long as we stay rooted in Christ, we cannot and will not lose. Like the saying goes, “I looked in the back of the book…and we win.” God wins!
Bishop Barron also pointed out something very interesting about this verse that may change your perspective. He said that many of us, when we face trials and tribulations, feel that hell is attacking us; that we are under spiritual attack or invasion from the enemy. But, when Matthew 16:18 says “the gates of hell,” it indicates that we are the ones doing the invading. The gates of a city are its weakest point. So, we are at the gates of hell, invading and taking back ground for God’s Kingdom. We are standing at the gates of hell and we are shining light into the darkness.
So, we have to keep that perspective that we are not on defense; we are not defending against the enemy and his attacks; we are not retreating or running from the evils of this world. We are on offense. We are marching forward in the name of Jesus Christ! God’s Kingdom is advancing and it will not be stopped. We are pillaging hell and invading its gates. And the enemy tries to retaliate and strike back against us.
Make no mistake, God’s Kingdom will prevail whether we contribute or not. God doesn’t need us to do anything in order for His plans to prevail. But, as God’s children, there are things we can do to help push God’s Kingdom forward. And they mainly have to do with our words, our prayers, and our giftings.
We pray and ask for direction from the Holy Spirit. We walk in our God-given spiritual gifts. You have very specific and unique ways that you can be a blessing to others and shine light in the world. There are things you’ll excel at that I may struggle with. There are things I may excel at that you may struggle with. But, when we walk in our God-given giftings, we are walking in God’s anointing, and there will be fruit in our lives that pushes back against the darkness.
We can utilize the power of our tongues to make our decrees and declarations. We speak life and we speak of good things; things we want to see come to pass in the world. Use that tongue of yours!
Another thing we can do is speak and breathe life into nasty or senseless situations. People want to accuse you or give you hard time; just give them a good word! Speak life into that situation. Speak truth. Speak God’s word. Use a verse to shed light on the situation. By doing this, you are shining a bright light into the darkness; and God assures us that the gates of hell shall not prevail against us.
Don’t forget God today!
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