“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” – Hebrews 12:3 (NKJV) Today’s blog entry is titled “Handling Opposition”…
Opposition is a part of life. There are various reasons why one person may not like another person. As Christians we may encounter people who don’t like us because of the stance that we take for Jesus Christ. They may say negative things about us or do things to try to provoke a negative response from us. It’s important that we don’t allow opposition to cause us to respond in a way that does not please God. Remember, even if we are dealing with a person who has treated us wrong, we should still avoid responding in a sinful way (See Ephesians 4:26-27).
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” – Ephesians 6:12
“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” – Zechariah 4:6
It’s important to remember that there is a spiritual realm. And some of the people we encounter may be serving the enemy without even realizing it. As it says in Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” When we face opposition it can be easy to want to respond in our flesh (meaning doing things our way instead of doing things the way the Bible says) but it’s important to remember to pray about the situation and the individual. Even if a person treats us wrong, they are still one of God’s creations, and we should pray for them. This isn’t to say that we continually allow a person to walk all over us. There is a way to be firm and direct with an individual without sinning.
We should not be afraid of opposition, and we should not allow opposition to discourage us. We should stay focused on what God has called us to do and obey Him regardless of who does or doesn’t like us. So as we continue to grow in our walk with Jesus Christ, let us continue to seek and trust Him regardless of what we encounter.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:19
Opposition is a part of life. There are various reasons why one person may not like another person. As Christians we may encounter people who don’t like us because of the stance that we take for Jesus Christ. They may say negative things about us or do things to try to provoke a negative response from us. It’s important that we don’t allow opposition to cause us to respond in a way that does not please God. Remember, even if we are dealing with a person who has treated us wrong, we should still avoid responding in a sinful way (See Ephesians 4:26-27).
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” – Ephesians 6:12
“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” – Zechariah 4:6
It’s important to remember that there is a spiritual realm. And some of the people we encounter may be serving the enemy without even realizing it. As it says in Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” When we face opposition it can be easy to want to respond in our flesh (meaning doing things our way instead of doing things the way the Bible says) but it’s important to remember to pray about the situation and the individual. Even if a person treats us wrong, they are still one of God’s creations, and we should pray for them. This isn’t to say that we continually allow a person to walk all over us. There is a way to be firm and direct with an individual without sinning.
We should not be afraid of opposition, and we should not allow opposition to discourage us. We should stay focused on what God has called us to do and obey Him regardless of who does or doesn’t like us. So as we continue to grow in our walk with Jesus Christ, let us continue to seek and trust Him regardless of what we encounter.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:19