19
Apr '18
Standing Firm
19
Apr '18
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)
A couple of months ago, I shared my faith with my neighbor. The conversation went well (from my point of view). The next thing I knew she hosted a luncheon and invited all the neighbors but me. After hearing about the event I felt sad and discouraged. I thought about what I had said to her and wondered if I had offended her. As I prayed, the Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me that persecution comes in various forms. I am responsible to speak as the Lord leads me; but I cannot always expect the outcome to be as positive as I would like. The Lord softened my heart to pray for her and to ask for another chance to speak to her again, not in anger for being left out of the party, but in simple love for her.
It is not always easy to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm and not give up. Are you standing firm? We have to learn to praise God and share Him and talk about Him, especially when times are calm. Today we have the Holy Spirit and we have free speech. If we cannot stand firm for Him now when times are easy, how will we handle persecution leading to death when times become tough? God will protect you in His way with His results. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Do not allow your pain, pressures, problems or even persecution to separate you from pleasing Him.
I feel we have all experienced some form of persecution because we stood fast in our faith and will continue to but I love today’s devotion. We need to be encouraged to stand fast in our faith, pray for and show love to those who persecute us and know that in the end He is faithful and He will strengthen you to run this race. I am reminded of 2 Timothy 4:7, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Stand firm, don’t give up and go to God in prayer.
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is James 1:21