I LOVE this from today's "From Faith To Faith" by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland!
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11-12
When persecution comes, don't sit around whining about it. Don't waste your time feeling sorry for yourself. Despite what you may think, that persecution hasn't come because the devil gets his kicks out of picking on you. It comes because you've become a threat to him. It comes because you've put the Word in your heart, and he knows that if he doesn't get it out, you're going to cause him more trouble than he can handle. So, rejoice! Heavy-duty persecution means you've made it to the big leagues. It means the devil is taking you so seriously that he's sending in his best players in an effort to get you out of the game!
The players that make it to the Super Bowl don't look for some way out of it, do they? They don't say, "Boy, I sure wish I didn't have to be in that Super Bowl game. Those guys are the biggest, meanest players in the country. Maybe I'll get sick and I won't have to play." No! They relish the opportunity. "Let me at 'em," they say. "I've worked all my life to get here and now I'm going to prove I'm the best!" That's how you should be when the devil challenges you. You should accept that challenge with joy, knowing you're going to come out a winner. After all, your God is sufficient to see you through. He never stops and wonders if He's going to have enough resources to get poor, little you over your problems this time. He knows He can beat anything the devil brings against you.
So, when persecution comes, trust Him and rejoice, knowing that you've made it to the big leagues now!
AMEN! I have heard it said that it you are NOT being persecuted in some way, you are NOT doing something right! In other words, the enemy only comes after those who threaten his hold on people! Welcome the persecution, fully understanding your authority over all the enemy so that NOTHING can by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19)! Yes, people may not like you, may gossip about you, may influence others to do the same, BUT, what people think will never affect what the God of the Bible thinks, says or does! YOU control what happens in your life! Choose to agree with the God of the Bible and dare to live that LIFE, in abundance, to the full, til it overflows (John 10:10 AMP) and REALLY put the enemy in agitation! Remember, He Who sits in the Heavens LAUGHS at the enemy and his feeble methjods (Psalm 2:4)! YOU should, too! AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "GO":Shalom in Him!
