John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We read in the book of Acts, Chapter 13 and 14, about Paul and Barnabas. They went from town to town sharing the Gospel and it says that the Word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region. However; it also says that people were stirring up persecution against them and poisoning other’s minds.
I bring this up to remind each of us that there is nothing new under the sun. The true Followers of Jesus Christ in this day and time are being persecuted also. We see it everywhere, it may not be as extreme as in other countries but it is happening right here in our midst. We see persecution in the business field, in the education field, in the political field and I can go on and on and on. What keeps me settled and at peace is that God knows exactly what is happening and He reminds us in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We shouldn’t be ignorant to all that is playing out, we should expect persecution. We have embraced a radical message and the evil one would love nothing better than to put road blocks in our way so that the Gospel doesn’t go forth. It may appear with our own eyes that we are losing the battle, but, the reality is that we know that we have victory in Jesus and in the end He wins! May we rest in Him as He works through and in us.
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Personalize this prayer.
Dear Lord,
You have called us to be a peculiar people but it gets hard some times and lonely. Forgive us when we let those difficulties of life overwhelm us. We know that anything that comes our way He has allowed for a specific purpose so help us to trust Him! Please give us the strength and fortitude to persevere and continue to walk out our faith. Guard our hearts from the disappointments that naturally come and help us to fix our eyes on You, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We owe everything to You! Give us the ability to remain steadfast to the call that you have on our lives.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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