Teased & Timid (ATP)
My question is: Have either of you ever been made fun of for standing on the Word of God? How do you handle the feelings of this? I am a timid person who does like confrontation however, I am not afraid to show my faith.
Immediately, Matthew 5:11-12 comes to my heart, which says, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” You’re in good company if you’re taking some lashing because of your faith. Even the prophets of old dealt with this kind of thing. The world disagrees with the Bible and increasingly more so it seems as time goes on. It’s always best to agree with God regardless of what the world says.
Notice the next scripture, Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” The whole purpose of this type of persecution, planned by the enemy and carried out by those who side with him, is to distract us and keep us from being the salt of this earth. If the devil can shut up the church he will.
Remember when Jesus Himself was rejected? Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” If the devil can take Jesus out of our lips and muffle the message of Jesus from our words, then the mission of Jesus is stifled. We are responsible for keeping His Words at the forefront. We are the salt, the only salt of this earth and to this lost and dying world.
Matthew 5:14-16 continues, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Realizing who we were made to be will help empower us to stand strong in that place. That’s how you get beyond the emotions attached to people speaking out against you, persecuting you or “unfriending” you.
Of course with all of this, we need to be careful not to be brash, and walk out of love. Romans 2:4 tells us, “that the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” This scripture in context regards harsh judgment against others and how they live. It’s the goodness and love of God that will bring them to repent and change their ways. The key to this is knowing when to speak and how to respond. The world speaks out of emotions, opinions, political bents, but the church needs to respond lovingly with the Word as led by the Holy Spirit. Too many believers become contentious and argumentative instead of speaking the truth in love. Ask yourselves these things: Will the person I’m speaking to listen to what I’m saying or is their mind made up already? Why am I saying this right now? Is this the right platform to speak about these things?
I’ll leave you with this, it’s always better to speak for something than to speak against something. Be a light of truth proactively instead of being a voice against something. Be for Jesus, not against the lost world.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée
