Wise as Serpents#5. “When men revile you. Part 1.”

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Mt.5:11).

Don’t you wish that your spiritual detractors would stay strictly to the subject of faith in their efforts to persecute us? But instead, their opposition begins to permeate every aspect of your life, and you wonder why you are starting to feel violated and helpless.

Persecution is a paradigm in which the Christian must learn to thrive. It is part and parcel of your faith experience. This is the devil’s battle ground. He will do all he can to discourage and dissuade you from taking up your cross and following Jesus. So, armouring up for the fight must become as natural as breathing.

The growing Christian accepts the inevitability of cancel culture. Anti-Christian sentiment can come through bosses, workmates, friends, or family members. Believe me, they will eventually nail their colours to the mast and begin to communicate this simple message: “To have more of us, you must have less of Jesus.”

Relationships are not binary. Your claim to faith affects the multitude of parts that make up the whole of your personal community. The closer the anti-Christian sentiment, the more it will hurt and disrupt. Satan will use every emotional tool at his disposal to separate you from your loved ones—’all because of your faith.’Faith changes you.

The closer you get to Jesus, the more you care about the lost. You love because Christ first loved you. So, despite the heartaches of rejection and alienation you only want the best for them. But what do you do when it all turns toxic? When someone close to you is out to get you? Such people know you. You share experiences that may go way back. Attacks on your faith may come in the form of assaults on your integrity. Outbursts such as, “I have known you for years and you are not what others think you are,” are not uncommon. They develop an atmosphere of blame. A sense that your churchgoing is wrecking everything that was once held dear.

To be continued…

John Staiger