RETALIATION

It's time to stop fighting against our brothers & sisters and its time to fight the real adversary who has blinded our eyes and has kept rivalry within the camp as he quietly overtakes the cities. (A word given to me) 

Retaliation: an action taken in return to an injury or offense. Ex: An eye for an eye. 
A spirit finding its root from revenge. 

First off let me say that I pray for any and everyone that I may unknowingly offend and I hope you can walk in forgiveness and true freedom. 

God is love. May He fill you in those injured and offended places and make you whole & complete. May your 1st response to others be HIS response: Love. 

The most misunderstood, mistreated of them all responded by laying His life down, not retaliating, not "sticking it to" or having an "I'll show them" mentality... He never came to his own defense  (Isaiah 53:7)  He loved, assumed the best, observed the worst, but still loved.  

Retaliation is not from the Lord. In fact I love the way John Ritenbaugh puts it:  "The spirit of retaliation must be aborted before it leads to murder". 

Have you ever felt like someone wronged you, excluded you, mistreated you so your response was to wrong them, exclude them, mistreat them??  That's retaliation. It's birthed in hatred and comes from evil. It's the complete opposite of Christ and how He conducted his life and it should be the opposite of how we who follow Him conduct our lives.
We must pray against this spirit. and further be continually filled with the Spirit of the living God.  If we find ourselves feeling revengeful or retaliatory  We should approach it in the manner Jesus exemplifies - We must make an honest and sincere attempt to reconcile with an offended brother. If the person truly is a brother, he will forgive quickly and go on with life without a grudge".  (Luke 17:1-4).  

Like the word the Lord gave me, I believe the spirit of retaliation is a tactic used from the real adversary to keep us "the army of born again believers" at war with one another so that he (the enemy) can go unsuspected throughout our cities and nation and try to conquer.  
 (a house divided against itself can not stand)  Mark 3:25 
Reconciliation is who God is and what He's about. He wants His family to be re-established in close relationship.  * that's the definition of reconciliation. 

We should all pursue this kind of living, this kind of loving. 1Corinthians  13:5 - we know this as the Love Chapter.  

What is interesting to note that the Revised Standard Version translates this verse as, "It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful."


The Revised English Bible translates it: "Never rude; love is never selfish, never quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs."

Paul tells the saints in Colosse that he prays they will possess the trait that is the opposite of wrath or revenge. He speaks of having an even temper, an attitude that in spite of injury or insult does not retaliate. We can develop longsuffering only as a fruit of the Spirit, not as an independent character trait. It grows from the common root of love and bears fruit only along with other spiritual fruit.  

I pray as this year 2012 begins to come to a close that  we can truly be and exist according to the scriptures we profess and not merely profess them.  The world needs us to be light and to shine bright. If we get caught up in satan's web of deception he will keep us so focused on our own fleshly motivations that we will miss the opportunities God has for us to minister and witness to the lost. 

Lord, I pray against and curse the spirit of retaliation. I pray your people truly repent for un-forgiveness  and  I ask that you will replace revenge with love.  I come against deception. Where  their eyes have once only perceived and assumed  the worst in others, I pray your eyes and your truth will take precedence... And the spirit of Truth rules.  Offense  has no place in your people.  It can not stay. I pray against it now. I believe you are raising up an army of spiritual warriors full of Love who will win the world back to you. Thank you Lord that I am counted as a part of that army. I will not war against my brother or sister... I will war against the true adversary. In Jesus name! 


Blessings & Favor Always

Alisa