“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
(Luke 10:9b; NASB)

Darkness is not measured by the quantity of its own elements or ingredients. There are no “dark waves” like there are “light waves.” Rather, darkness is measured as the absence of light.

 

When we step into a dark room in our home, our very first instinct is to reach for the light switch. We flip the switch, the light comes on, and immediately the darkness goes away. It cannot exist where the light is present. Even if it is reduced to shadows where the rays of light have not fully penetrated, the darkness is mortally compromised.

 

You can see that when Jesus told the Seventy to “speak peace to every house,” it was to produce that effect. That was the first command. He then gave them three other instructions that would cause the light to penetrate deeper and spread farther.

 

First, He said, “Eat what they set before you” (v.8). What that indicates is that because you let peace do its work, the door of that house opened up to you. Go in!  You don’t even have to talk. Jesus said, “Eat and drink.” It’s called “fellowship.” And since you are eating, let the host do the talking. You do the listening. God is up to something.

 

Next, Jesus told them, “Heal the sick who are in that house” (v.9a). Here is where we put the dots together. Speaking peace to every house opened the door to one of them. The open door was your signal that there was something there Jesus wanted to heal. Your eating and drinking (and listening) allowed His peace to abide inside the house to open the heart of the host to reveal what needed to be healed. Now with great confidence in Jesus’ name, heal it! 

 

Jesus’ final instruction came quickly: “Tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (v.9b). Why is that important? Because that simple declaration is like raising a flag in conquered territory. Where the kingdom of God has been established, the dominion of Satan has no power. The corrupting forces of darkness are hastily dislodged and dispelled. The spiritual climate is changed, and a new point of light has been established.

 

Your peace-speaking may seem but a flicker of light in a very dark place, but Jesus says that flicker is impregnated with all the power and resources of the kingdom of God.

 

Here it is in a nutshell:

 

Bless; don’t curse.

Fellowship; don’t avoid.

Minister; don’t ignore.

Proclaim. Declare, “The kingdom of God has come!” 

This is the lifestyle that you and I are called to. Yes! Change the climate—change the nation!

 

Points for Prayer:

 

Review Luke 10:1-18. Accept and embrace the truth of every verse in prayer.

 

Armed with greater understanding and faith, speak peace more boldly to every house you enter, physically or in prayer.

 

Reclaim every dark place—from your house to the houses of government in Washington—because Jesus has already paid the price of redemption.

 

Make this your lifestyle for you and your family from this day forward. Determine to let no corrupt word leave your mouth, but that every word be full of the peace of God.

 

Speak peace, and follow the trail because now you know there is a trail.

 

By Dave Thompson
Sr. Vice President, Transform Our World