Warriors Arise: October 19, 2023
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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.
I am really trying to comprehend what Jesus is saying in these verses. I have had to ask myself a big question.There will come a day when persecution for our belief in Jesus Christ will be challenged around the world. Revelation is coming at some point. Is Jesus speaking to the time when this will happen as well as those have been and are being persecuted for His name's sake? He reminded the people that the prophets were persecuted. SO, they already had an example of taking a stand. Daniel was thrown into the lion's den and lived to write about it. He would not stop praying to God even though he knew what the consequences would be.
I looked up rejoice and exceedingly glad in the Strong's.
Rejoice: to be cheerful. It could also be a salutation. Greeting one another with joyfulness.
Exceedingly glad: to jump for joy, with exceeding joy.
I am asking myself big questions. If I was being persecuted for my belief in Jesus Christ:
Would I continue to profess Him as my Lord?
Would I be completely sold out for God that I would rejoice when being questioned?
Would I be cheerful that they selected me to question my faith?
Would I be jumping for joy at the opportunity to testify that I am God's child and He is my heavenly Father?
I have to keep in mind, this is in reference to being persecuted. Sure, I live out loud now. Thankfully, I am not persecuted for my beliefs. I have a few nay-sayers and people who distance themselves from me; but that is nothing compared to what Jesus is talking about.
I don't think we can really know the answer until we have faced it. People can say they believe in the Bible, yet they won't pray for people to be healed. They can say they believe every Word God has spoken, yet they do not come together as a contributing member of the Body. People can say they believe Jesus died on the cross and rose again only to wonder if they are good enough to get into heaven. It doesn't matter if we re good enough. It is a free gift. You have to receive the gift and then you will be in heaven on the other side of the blink. People can say they believe God will answer, but they have trouble acknowledging what God has done.
I press on to the upward calling, because if real persecution were to come my way or in my lifetime, I want to be found faithful, representing Him well through the persecution, jumping for joy and rejoicing. I believe it is truly a higher calling. If I am called to represent Jesus this way, I hope I live up to His expectation and fulfill this calling. I pray I walk in the blessing Jesus is giving for those who are and will be persecuted.
Father, my innitial response is to profess that I will rejoice in time of persecution. I will be faithful to jump for joy when I am persecuted. But I know in my heart I will be hurt. Persecution can come from those close to us. I pray I would not allow my heart to be hung up on who is doing th persecution but I would delight in the fact that You are for me, You have called me to walk in the special blessing of this persecution. I pray I would testify of Your goodness and magnify Your name with shouts of joy and thanksgiving. You are my source of strength and I will serve You faithfully in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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