Assault after assault after assault on our faith, our beliefs, and our intelligence, all with one goal: to make us recant. To get us to turn our backs on our belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. In Muslim nations, they have a more direct approach to dealing with those pesky Christians. But in the United States where religious freedom is at least nominally honored, the Enemy requires a more subtle approach. Rather than attack us bodily, we are allowed a relative safety, and even a feeling of majority, until we are all but asleep. And then, the Enemy attacks, not with swords, but with words. And all too often, the weight of those words, the work of that constant barrage, becomes more than we can bear in our weakened and lackadaisical state.
But, you know, it's not as though we didn't see this coming. Jesus Himself told us we'd be hated for His sake.
“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.”(Matthew 5:11-12)
Notice, he didn't say "if," but "when." Satan doesn't come after us because we are wrong, but because we are right. And if God allows him to do so, we must see it as a refining fire. A chance to grow in our faith and understanding of His word. Rather than allow those words to make us question God's Word, we can learn to defend it. We can increase our knowledge of why we believe what we believe. We can grow in our walk with God and learn how to become even more effective in His ministry.
And let us not ever forget that our Lord suffered the ultimate persecution and humiliation for our sakes. Can we not shoulder a little name-calling for His? And remember, we don't do it alone. He is with us. Always.
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