“Be
humble when you correct people who oppose you . . . They have been trapped by
the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help them escape.” 2
Timothy 2:25-26 (CEV)
When you face opposition because of your faith, you need to
recognize its source.
It’s not other people. It’s not your coworkers. It’s not a
political party. It’s not a competitor. The pressure you feel to cave in or be
quiet or sit down when you should stand up—that pressure is not coming from
other people. It’s really coming from Satan.
In Revelation 12:10 Satan is called “the accuser of our brothers and
sisters” (NIV). In other words, he’s the accuser of
Christians. His number one job is to put you down.
There is an unseen spiritual battle going on all around you. The
pressure to keep you from doing the right thing is not really coming from other
people. They’re just weapons. Most of the time they don’t even know they’re
being used. The real issue is spiritual warfare.
Ephesians 6:12 says, “We
are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces
in the heavenly world” (GNT).
Satan knows it’s ineffective to attack Jesus directly, so instead
he attacks Jesus’ followers. He uses the media, music, popular culture, and
anything he can to ridicule those who belong to Jesus. He’s behind the voices
saying, “Those Christians are out of date. They don’t know what they’re talking
about.”
Here’s what the Bible says you should do: “Stay away from stupid and
senseless arguments. These only lead to trouble, and God’s servants must not be
troublemakers. They must be kind to everyone, and they must be good teachers
and very patient. Be humble when you correct people who oppose you . . . They
have been trapped by the devil, and he makes them obey him, but God may help
them escape” (2 Timothy 2:23-26 CEV).
God has given you the Holy Spirit to help you stand against the
devil’s attacks. His Spirit gives you the power to grow in self-control, even things
like jealousy that Satan uses to tempt you. He gives you strength in seasons of
depression and struggle. And he helps you overcome things like anger and rage.
You may think you’re strong, but you’re not strong enough to fight
Satan’s attacks on your own. What you need to do is recognize the source—the
devil, not that person—and
treat the opposition the way Jesus did.
How did Jesus treat those who opposed him? Even on the cross he
said, “Father,
forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34
GW).
The people who attack you—who put down Jesus and church and
Christianity—often don’t know the extent of what they’re doing.
That’s why, just like Jesus, you need to pray, “Father, forgive them,” so
that you can show love even under attack. Then you’ll have more energy to fight
the real enemy.
over
your moods. He helps you resist
Rick Warren
