“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
– Matthew 5:43-45
![]() There are a few practical things you can do in your daily life and in the Kingdom of God to become more robust and strengthen your anti-fragility. First, you must take some hits. If you’ve been playing it safe for a while, you should put yourself in a position to be stretched, even if it hurts. Taking a few punches in the name of growth can and should become part of your daily rhythm and habit. However, don’t forget to rest throughout these developing seasons; you need at least one day a week where you can get away from the demands of the routine! Second, you must love your enemies. The world frequently tells us to criticize, slander, lie about, injure, and harm our adversaries. This, however, is not a Christian thing to do; it simply isn’t becoming of a Christian. “I defeat my enemies by making them my friends,” said Abraham Lincoln, and this is exactly what it’s about. When you practice Spiritual jiu-jitsu, as Dallas Willard calls it, you start to love those who wrong you because you feel sorry for them. You truly learn how to love your enemies when you pray for those who hurt you, asking God to change their hearts and make them better. Your life becomes more serene and less stressful as a result. Friend, strive to become anti-fragile by accepting difficulties and doing things that stretch you, even the seemingly impossible chore of loving your enemies. Though it may not feel natural and will require you to step outside of your comfort zone, doing the difficult thing will develop Spiritual agility in you, allowing you to be adaptable in a variety of situations and equipping you with a power strong enough to oppose the devil! He will flee from you when you do, and you will do incredible things for Jesus! Isn’t that fantastic news? |
Prayer
Jesus, I ask that you would throw challenges in my path and allow me to love my enemies so that I can become anti-fragile.
Reflection
When was the last time you were stretched or took a punch to become more Spiritually agile and less vulnerable?
If you’re unable to attend your local church or need some additional weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode.