John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

The storms of difficulty in our lives can paralyze us and take away our joy.  The past two weeks have been one of persecution and growing in the strength of Jesus to overcome persecution.  What do you do when the storms of life come?  Who do you turn to?

In “A Christian Selfie”, my last chapter deals with rejoicing in the Lord.  I chose to relate a story where David and I had been persecuted to show that no matter the problem, God can give us a rejoicing heart!  You may say, “how?”  There is an amazing truth that God gives us in the Bible.  If we can take hold of it, even during the most trying of situations, we have an anchor that we can cling to in all of life’s storms.  It is this:  Jesus Christ never changes!

In our ever-changing world, we struggle to comprehend that there is anything that doesn’t change.  The average person changes jobs at least five times during their lifetime.  There are statistics that say even more.  We change our relationships, our finances, and we are continually learning how to keep up in our ever-changing world.  However, as alluded to in the above scripture, we will be persecuted if we take a stand for Jesus.  That will not change.  You may have been persecuted for going through a divorce.  You may have been persecuted for your beliefs on a worldly issue.  You may have been persecuted for telling others the truth, yet, they thought it was not the truth.  You may have been persecuted for not hanging with the “old druggie crowd” when you are trying to stay away from that old life.  Whatever, you are being persecuted for, make sure you are allowing Jesus to carry you through this time of persecution.

In Romans 12:14, it states, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (NKJV) The very next verse tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice!  To do this we must first remember that Jesus is sovereign!  He has complete control of our storms if we allow Him to control our storms.  He was in control with the disciples when they were in the storm on the Sea of Galilee.  They called on Him and He calmed the storm.  He will do that for you too!  “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NKJV)

Remember that Jesus is Protective!  The same night of that storm, Peter was allowed to sink just enough to recognize his own helplessness so that he would turn to the Lord for rescue.  We are protected when we recognize that we are absolutely helpless without Jesus.  Now that is something to rejoice about!  In our helplessness, we are made strong!  You can withstand the temptation of drugs and alcohol!  You can withstand when those you counted your friends persecute you! Bless those who persecute you!

You might ask, “How can I do this when I hate what they have done to me?”  First, you must ask forgiveness of your hate.  Realize you can hate the sin, yet like Christ, love the sinner.  Second, you must ask Jesus to protect from temptation. We are tempted to dislike anyone who doesn’t agree with us.  There are evangelical professing Christians who persecute the lifestyle of anyone that they look at as contrary to what the Bible may teach.  Jesus tells us to love everyone!  We are not to pass judgment!  We are to pray and give unconditional love for all mankind.  That is why we can rejoice when we are persecuted!

Do you have a relationship with Jesus?  If not, I pray you ask Him into your heart today!  Read 1 John 4:7-10 and let God’s love shine in your life.  Pray these verses become real in your life today!  Verse 11 says it all, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  Count it a joy to be persecuted.  Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice!!