Matthew 5:11 (KJV) Says, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." II Timothy 3:12 (KJV) Says, "Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
In the above verses of scripture it is made clear to us that if we choose to live our lives in obedience to God, we will be persecuted. The Bible doesn't say that we may be persecuted or that there is a chance we will be persecuted, but rather that we will be. The good news is that God is with us at all times which, of course, includes the times that we are suffering persecution, God blesses those who live in obedience to him, and we will be rewarded in heaven for choosing to live our lives in a Godly manner.
After accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior we become his disciples, and as such we become a light in a very dark world as the Holy Spirit shines through us. When we are living a Godly life it makes many people uncomfortable. This includes Christians who have strayed from their walk with the Lord opting to go along with what is popular in society in order to be accepted by their peers.
As Christians we should have the desire in our hearts to live our lives in obedience to God. To be Christian by definition means to be Christ-like. Jesus demonstrated for us exactly how we are to behave as followers of Christ and the example he set is well documented in the Bible. Jesus walked in love demonstrating, mercy, understanding, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, and many other like traits. The way we live our lives is our greatest testimony, and as Christians we should be exhibiting Christ-like traits.
Let me make clear that I am not talking about being persecuted because you have become holier than thou, condemning people, judging people, and being so caught up in religion itself that you become obnoxious to the degree no one can tolerate being around you. I am talking about being persecuted because you walk out of a room when something ungodly is on television, you change the radio station when an ungodly song is being played, you refuse to listen to and or participate in gossip, you choose to walk away when someone tells an ungodly joke, and all such demonstrations of what it means to live a Godly life.
Persecution for being a follower of Christ can be avoided by going along with the majority in order to fit in, and their are many Christians who opt to take this route. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ that wants to avoid persecution by others you may find yourself listening to gossip, and even joining in. If you want to fit in and avoid persecution you may listen to ungodly music, watch ungodly television shows, listen to cursing, laugh at ungodly jokes, join in conversations with those who are verbally attacking another individual. You may participate in; or tolerate other ungodly activities simply to be accepted by others knowing that these things are most certainly not pleasing to God. This type behavior by Christians is hypocritical, and does much in the way of damage to our personal testimonies. Remember our personal lives are our greatest testimony. If we go along with and participate in things that we know don't fit who we are as followers of Jesus Christ, then how do we appear to be any different from non-believers? What does this type behavior say to non-believers about what it means to be a Christians, and what it means to live a godly life? It says that Christians are hypocrites.
We are born with a freewill, and it is up to us as individuals to choose whether we will live our lives in a Godly manner; or whether we will go along with things that we know do not fit who we are as followers of Jesus Christ in order to avoid persecution and to be accepted by society. Are you living your life in a manner that is pleasing to God or are you living it in a manner that gels with those who are not? It is up to each of us as individuals to decide how we will walk. How do you choose to walk? Will you be persecuted or popular?
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
