Kingdom Opposites: Choosing What God Said Instead
Juni* remembered the accident in fragments. One moment she was driving her motorbike down the road, and the next she was lying injured on the roadside. The world around her was blurred and unsteady. She could feel arms around her shoulders. An elderly Muslim woman was holding her and quietly weeping. Nearby, voices called out as people rushed to move her motorbike from the road. Other women gathered close, their faces filled with concern.
Then, almost instantly, two of her local disciple-making teammates were beside her. They gently cleaned her wounds and checked her injuries, bringing calm into the chaos.
Hours later, Juni was back home, resting. Her jaw ached, her leg was badly injured, and her shoulder throbbed with pain. When Reina*, a disciple-maker, visited, Juni was able to sit up for a while.
Together, they slowly talked through the events of the day, not just to remember what had happened, but to listen for what God might be saying in the midst of it.
As Juni reflected, something deeper began to surface. The accident itself was not the only thing weighing on her. Old thoughts, once healed but not fully silenced, began to rise again:
“You are a burden.”
“You are not capable.”
“You should give up and go home.”
“You are letting others down.”
These were not new voices. They were familiar accusations that had taken root during earlier wounds in her life. In Juni’s moment of vulnerability, they tried to reclaim their place.
With gentle guidance, Reina invited Juni to name the thoughts and feelings she was carrying. Then she asked her to bring those honestly before the Lord. One by one, Juni chose to turn away from the lies she had believed and to reject their hold on her heart.
Next came a different question. What was God saying instead?
Juni began to search for truth in her Bible. She wrote down words from Scripture that spoke of God’s care, His presence, and His faithfulness. Where there had been accusations, she now spoke truth. Where there had been doubt, she chose trust.
Reina also asked her to remember where she had seen God at work, even in the midst of the accident. And as Juni reflected, she saw it clearly. In the arms of a stranger who cared for her. In the quick response of her teammates. In the protection that spared her life. In the presence of God that never left her.
This simple process helped Juni walk through four intentional steps. She recognized the thoughts that questioned God’s goodness. She repented of the ways she had agreed with them. She renounced the lies that had shaped her thinking. And she reclaimed those places with the truth of God’s Word.
Juni chose to do the hard work of healing. She leaned into the Lord, not only to continue serving, but to be transformed. In the midst of pain, she encountered a far deeper freedom.
For those longing to see multiplying movements of new disciples, this kind of inner transformation matters. As we walk in dependence on the Holy Spirit, God shapes us even as He works through us. And through lives marked by humility, honesty, and obedience, others begin to see what it looks like to follow Jesus in a real and lasting way.
*pseudonym
PRAYING KINGDOM OPPOSITES
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“I DON’T HAVE AN OIKOS”
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