Whenever God clearly speaks to you and you obey His will, you can expect to face opposition. Spiritual assaults and attacks by the ungodly are not always signs that you are out of the will of God; they may even indicate that you are in the very center of God's will. Mary's husband, Joseph, was a righteous man who feared God, yet his obedience to God forced him to flee for his life to a foreign country. Joseph's hardship came, not because of his sin, but because of his obedience.
Although Joseph and Mary were forced to move to another country, they remained in the center of God's will. Jesus warned His disciples to expect persecution from the world as they obeyed the Father. He reminded them that they would not face persecution alone, for Jesus, too, had faced the hostility of the world and had been victorious (John 16:33).
Do not become discouraged when you face opposition. Opposition may indicate that you are acting in obedience to God. Examine your heart. If you have done what you know He has asked you to do, trust Him to see you through the antagonism that comes from those who are not walking with Him. When they encountered persecution, the disciples did not ask God to remove their opponents, but to give them boldness as they faced opposition (Acts 4:24–31). God's will for you may involve hardship, as it did for His Son (John 15:20), but He loves you and will not allow you to face more than you are able to handle. - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
It's oh so much quicker to be discouraged and disappointed than to be lifted up and encouraged.
Probably because of our familiarity with the darkness we left to walk into the light of Christ.
Notice all that Blackaby writes about. Notice anything peculiar?
No where is it spoken of that peace and prosperity as THE WORLD sees peace and prosperity will be ours to have.
But what does Jesus say? My peace I give to you, not as the world gives it.
The peace of Jesus is way more than a peace of mind. It's something practically indescribable to ourselves let alone others.
We can expect trials and tribulations. Because we are told they would be ours since they were Christ's!
If you walk with one to whom you are a Disciple of, you can and should, expect the same trials and tribulations they experience. If you are following them closely that is. If you are not, then you really need to question just whose Disciple you are.
Yes. That's exactly what I was told to say.
If you are going out of your way to avoid following closely with whom you claim to be a Disciple of then you really aren't anything but a follower in name only.
Are you pouring your everything into following Christ or are you pouring your passion, energy and life into idols? Yes, this keeps coming up because God keeps bringing it up! Read your Bible! Read of all the times the Lord had a problem with Israel's idolatry. Don't get started on saying it isn't about the Church. Read the New Testament. Plenty mentioned there considering the very same idolatry.
There are millions of weak Christians who could be stronger in the faith if they truly followed whom they claim to be following.
I am still learning and growing in Christ. I have not arrived. I will not until Jesus takes me home and gives me a new glorified body.
But there's much work to be done in my life in the here and now to become more Christ like.
There's much more to be done in your life to become more Christ like.
So what's your plan?
What are you going to do now and in 2020 to get 20-20 Spiritual vision? Have you gotten so self-centered that your walk with God is mostly in name only? Yes you may read a few things in your Bible but you don't think about God at all the rest of the time? How's your prayer life? Are there parts of your heart you have denied Jesus access to? He will persistently knock on every door in your heart until He can go anywhere and clean out anything. Have you traded your first love for an idol in this world? Do people going to Hell even cross your mind as something that remotely disturbs you? Look in the mirror.
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