Day 8: Kingdom Aggression and Loving Your Enemies

Welcome to Day 8 of Morning and Night: 21 Days of Praying for Your Ministry! Today, in the morning, we are praying for a holy sense of Kingdom aggression and proactiveness. In the evening, we are praying for a supernatural anointing to love your enemies.

First, what is “Kingdom aggression”?

When I refer to “Kingdom aggression,” I am talking about allowing God to flow through you with holy zeal to expand His Kingdom.

People who walk in Kingdom aggression don’t wait for opportunities to jump into their lap.

If you are filled with a holy sense of Kingdom aggression, you are constantly on the lookout for ways to release the Kingdom around you. The Kingdom–which we could accurately summarize with the one phrase “on earth as it is in Heaven”–is within you, but it also has to be manifest on the outside of you.

Therefore, if you have Kingdom aggression, you look for ways to take the righteousness, peace, joy, and power of the Holy Spirit that are inside of you and release them on the outside to bear witness for Jesus.

For example:

• When someone is sad or crying, you comfort them–because that’s what God does.
• When someone is in need, you help–because that’s what God does.
• When someone needs encouragement, you speak words that bring LIFE and hope into their spirit–because that’s what God does.
• When you hear about a missionary who needs support, you step up to support–because that’s the Kingdom way!
• When you hear about people who don’t know God, you step in to tell them Who Jesus is, and what He has done for you–because that’s what God commands you to do!

The Kingdom increases rapidly when people get aggressive in a holy way. And if you want to grow your ministry, you are going to have to get aggressive with it. You will have to want to see Jesus glorified more than you want to see anything else.

Kingdom aggression isn’t the kind of aggression that is mean, rude, or sinful.

Kingdom aggression doesn’t promote violence. It doesn’t shout in anyone’s face. It is never mean or rude.

But, it does signify that you don’t sit around on your blessed assurance and wait for God to dump ministry opportunities in your lap. Instead, you operate out of the understanding that you ARE an ambassador for Christ, and that everywhere you go, you are responsible for taking the world between your own two feet for Him.

Look at what Jesus said about Kingdom aggression and proactivity:

Matthew 11:12: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12 NKJV).

And the emergence of Kingdom aggression was prophesied in Isaiah 9:

Isaiah 9:6-7: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV, emphasis mine).

Did you see it? “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end …. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” His kingdom is always increasing, and we are supposed to go through life with a mindset that we are going to be part of increasing it. 🙂

Now that you’ve read those Scriptures, pray as follows for Kingdom aggression and proactiveness in your life and ministry:

• Tell the Father that you come before Him in Jesus’ name.
• Thank Him for allowing you to be part of His Kingdom.
• Thank Him and praise Him for making you a king and priest on the earth, an ambassador for His holy name!
• Ask the Lord to fill you with His love and zeal for His Kingdom, and for all things related to it.
• Ask Him to help you love what He loves and hate what He hates.
• Pray that He will make you one of the spiritually-violent ones who take the Kingdom by force.
• Ask Him to help you demonstrate Kingdom aggression in everything from your prayer time, your Bible study time, your level of perseverance, your level of faithfulness, your love for others, your boldness to speak His Word and witness to others, and more.
• Pray that He would show you His plans for your ministry, and that He would help you to be aggressive, in a holy way (not an overwork way), in carrying out those plans for His glory.
• Ask the Lord to increase His government in your life today. Pray that you would be more surrendered to Him today than you ever have been before.
• Pray that the Lord would increase His peace in your life today. Cast all your burdens on Him in prayer right now, so that He can give you His peace which passes understanding.
• Ask the Lord to let His zeal operate and flow through you by the power of His Holy Spirit, so that you can be an active and proactive part of expanding and increasing His Kingdom every day.
• Give Him all the praise!

And in the evening, pray and ask the Lord for a supernatural anointing to love your enemies.

I really believe that loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you is one of the biggest keys to spiritual growth. There’s not much that will get you out of the flesh, and walking in the Spirit, more than doing good to your enemies and praying for them will.

If you’re in ministry of any kind, chances are good that you will accumulate some enemies.

Plenty of people love to hate on others. Whether it’s because of their own insecurity, or because they are under the influence of some foul spirit, or whatever else, there will be people who decide they don’t like you–even if all your actions and words were perfect!

Nevertheless, we still have to love our enemies and pray for them. We have to do good to them, and you’re going to need Jesus’ help to do so.

Read this passage where Jesus commands us so clearly to love our enemies:

Matthew 5:43-48: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV).

This passage should convict us all, every time we read it.

We all need the Lord to remind us to love our enemies every day. We need Holy Spirit’s help to pray for them every day. We need Jesus to change our heart so that we can say, “Lord, bless my enemies!”–and mean it!

Jesus loved His enemies so well that He asked the Father to forgive the Romans who murdered Him.

Look at this incredible prayer of Jesus that He prayed right while He was being crucified:

“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots” (Luke 23:33-34 NKJV).

Beloved, crucifixion was and is the most inhumane, barbaric, torturous method of execution that has ever been invented. Jesus was being mutilated beyond belief, but He still prayed and asked the Father to forgive those who were hurting Him.

Oh, to be like Jesus!

Always remember that praying for your enemies to be blessed is a good thing, not a waste of a blessing.

Romans 2:4 tells us that it’s the GOODNESS of God that leads men to repentance:

“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 NKJV).

Therefore, when you pray for your enemies to be blessed, you are asking God to shower them with His goodness. And that goodness, before it does anything else, will lead your enemies to repentance. THAT is what you want, because it eliminates sin and releases righteousness on the earth and in their hearts. 🙂

So, pray today for the Lord to give you a supernatural anointing to love your enemies:

• Tell the Father that you come before Him in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus.
• Thank the Father for sacrificing His Son Jesus to die for you, even while you/we were yet sinners.
• Praise Him for His kindness to the unfaithful and unjust, for you have been one of those at some point in your life also.
• Ask the Lord to give you a supernatural anointing to love your enemies like He does.
• Pray that the Lord would give you eyes to see people like He sees them–seeing beyond their sin and shame, to see the plans the Father has for them.
• Ask the Lord to give you an anointing to forgive those who hurt you, the same way Christ forgave the Romans who murdered Him.
• Ask the Lord to help you bless those who curse you and do good to those who hate you.
• Pray that He would teach you how to guard and keep your heart with all diligence while you do love your enemies.
• Pray that He would teach you how to operate with godly and holy boundaries, even while loving your enemies and doing good to those who mistreat you.
• Pray that He would help you love your enemies and pray for them without casting your pearls before swine. (This may involve loving them from a distance.)
• Ask Him for an anointing to pray in faith for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
• Thank Him for the opportunity to share in the sufferings of Jesus.
• Pray that the Father would make you perfect, as He is perfect, as you practice loving your enemies and praying for them every day.
• Take a moment to pray for your enemies now, both known and unknown. 🙂 Ask the Lord to shower them with His goodness, which leads men to repentance.
• Confess to Him your total dependence on Him and His help to love your enemies and pray for them like He wants you to. Ask Him to grow this skill in you every day, and to give you His heart of love for those who hurt you.
• Thank Him, and give Him all the praise!

Beloved, are you ready to be aggressive and proactive for the Kingdom? Are you willing to love and pray for your enemies, so you can obey God and become perfect like He is? If so, leave a comment below!