Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV): “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
It is in the nature of a man or woman of God to be misunderstood, misinterpreted, and mistreated. Nothing makes a sinner feel more threatened than true righteousness nearby, just as nothing threatens darkness like approaching light. If you are one of God’s people, you will experience trouble and persecution. And, even though it won’t feel like a blessing when that happens, it is, because it points to you as one of God’s people. The trick is to lean totally on God when the persecution comes. The natural response is to close off the light, to bank down the fire, to compromise just a bit, to keep silent instead of speaking out, all in an effort to stop the pain. But God’s way is to provide strength and encouragement to those under fire so that they can keep moving forward. God’s goal is not to protect the light, but to use it to forcefully push the darkness back.
Father, thank You for giving me strength and encouragement. Do that for us all the more as the forces of evil and darkness attempt to silence us, so that we CAN push forward against all of that and invade the kingdom of the enemy with Your light. Amen.