What in the world are you talking about, oppose opposition with the opposite? Well, what do you do when you face opposition? A natural human response is to become defensive making excuses or passive aggressively making nice, but finding ways to go around or subvert the opposition. How does that generally work for you?
I have tried those methods and even if it ‘works’ for a short while, trust me, it only makes things worse in the long run. If the natural response is facing opposition with more opposition, what does opposing it with the opposite look like? Jesus lays it out clearly in Matthew 5:43-47 NLT
43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
You have likely heard the cliché “Kill them with kindness.” That’s what it means to come in the opposite spirit. I say spirit, and not just attitude, because it takes supernatural help from Holy Spirit to do.
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:3-8 NLT
It means asking God to show us how He sees the people and circumstances that oppose our calling and walk with God. We forgive and let go of all offense, not expecting any apology or acknowledgement, just giving it all to the Creator who is The Just Judge. That is why Jesus came.
Armed with insight to their pain and the confusion of the circumstances, we can choose to love our enemy, use kindness to jolt them out of their resistance, and let the undeserved favor of grace and patience, lure them out of opposition to us. We come in the opposite.
When we let Jesus have control of our situations, that is when the supernatural responses begin to come. The more we trust, the more we act like him. When we act like Jesus we make the world a better place.
Where are you facing opposition in your life now? Ask Abba what the real issues are behind the opposition you are currently experiencing. Then ask how you can respond to adverse circumstances and ‘difficult’ people, now that you see they are wounded and doing their human best to protect themselves. Every situation will be different, but the fruit of the Spirit is always a safe place to start.
