Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (Luke 6:28)
What Jesus proposed in this teaching was the opposite of how the world around Him did things. Bless them that curse you is not how we naturally live. We defend ourselves when people curse us. We attack people who curse us, or at least, we desire to curse them back.
Jesus told us instead to bless them. That means we should speak life over them or speak well about them. That doesn’t mean that believers are called to be passive. On the contrary, we are aggressively kingdom-minded when we speak life while others speak death.
However, Jesus’ following command might be even more profound. He said to pray for them that despitefully use you. Jesus didn’t say to endure the difficulty and the hate that others spew but specifically to intercede on their behalf, believing that God will bless them and change them. We aren’t praying for God to change them for our benefit but for their benefit and the kingdom's sake.
Why would we do such a thing? What benefit could it produce? When we respond to hate and curses with love and prayer, we break the cycle of hatred and revenge in our realms of influence. We can transform our hearts and open the door for God to transform the hearts of those who hurt us.
People will notice something is different about you when you respond to curses with blessings. Your response to being cursed and attacked can be a powerful testimony of God's power in our lives and how He continues transforming us into His image.
Practical Application
Decide that you will speak life and faith over and about those who have attacked and done wrong to you. Purposely and aggressively refuse to gossip and talk negative about others. Speak life and change the atmosphere.