BURNING COALS OF SHAME

Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”^[1] - Romans 12:20 New Living Translation

     On the heels of yesterday’s devotional regarding letting God avenge our pain from those who would do evil against us comes the very next verse which tells us what we should do instead of retaliating. We are to bless our enemies. First of all we can remain silent rather than get into an argument, which could potentially escalate into a physical altercation. We must proof we are different than the world by maintaining self-control in the face of instigation. 

     We should always pray for those who are against us. This invites and allows the Holy Spirit to rectify the situation from the inside out. Prayer changes things. Prayer puts the wheels of heaven in motion. Prayer is for our benefit. It will build up our faith and reliance on God. Our natural human inclination is to defend ourselves, but with Christ as our advocate and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we can step back and let God handle things as only he can.

     When we don’t react the way our instigator anticipates it’s like throwing a batter an off speed pitch. He can’t always handle it and neither can the instigator. He’s itching for a fight but will get known from the man or woman of God, for they have the proper Godly restraint to allow the Spirit to take control.  Bless those who persecute you and let the Lord work out the rest. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

^[1] Proverbs 25:21-22 - “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.”