How to Live by Faith (Even When You’re Persecuted)
Sometimes living by faith can be hard, seem unfair, and feel uncertain. I know a young lady, a college freshman from another country, who was laughed at and insulted for being pregnant outside of marriage and refusing to have an abortion. She was called a witch by some family members and there were times when total strangers pointed and laughed at the young, pregnant girl.
As Christians, many of us will experience being laughed at, ridiculed, or even persecuted for the sake of Jesus. Sometimes we’ll hear unbelievers and skeptics as they laugh about God as the ‘crutch’ that weak people use to get through life. I’ve even heard comments about how the Bible is just ancient scribble and the miracles are phony fables.
But did you know the Bible says this type of treatment is actually expected for Christians? Peter said, “In the last days scoffers will come with scoffing, saying, what happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?” (2 Peter 3:4).
So, maybe we are crazy to be living by faith, believing a guy named Jesus who lived in Israel 2000 years ago, walked on water, did miracles, rose from the dead, and is coming back again at some unknown date in the future. Maybe all those laughers and scoffers are right. Maybe the billions of people who have believed in Christ throughout the centuries were fooled by a lie.
If this is the case, we are indeed a poor people who have lived with a phony crutch. The apostle Paul even affirms this in his letter to the Corinthian Church “If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are to be more pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15:17). If Jesus is not really who he says he is, people are right to laugh and even pity his followers.
The beauty of being a Christian is found in the word: FAITH. Faith is why we keep believing. Living by faith is why we continue to patiently wait for the coming of our Lord. It is because WE WALK BY FAITH and not by sight. Faith that God will work all things together for our good because He loves us.
The young, pregnant girl spent a lot of time in prayer. No doubt there were plenty of moments when her faith waivered. But with each hurdle, she dug deeper into God’s Word for knowledge and strength.
That’s because, as Christians, we do not believe in what the world calls, “blind faith.” On the contrary, true faith begins with the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2) and requires thinking, learning, and growing. God wants us to meditate on him, to ponder, wonder, and talk with him. Best of all, he is not afraid of our questions. He wants us to be strong, to use our minds and the talents he has blessed us with. Over and over, God calls us to be the best version of ourselves so we can grow closer to him – and all of this requires thinking things through.
It was faith in God’s power is what got the young woman with the baby through the most difficult time in her life. Just after the baby was born, God blessed her with a loving husband. Today, they are Mommy and Daddy to an amazing, smart, and happy 3-year-old little boy. She didn’t lose heart because of the scoffers. She walked by faith and rose to the occasion by God’s grace. You can too!
My friends one of Satan’s favorite lies is, “Following Christ is not worth the effort.” But God tells us the love relationship he wants with us is worth everything. Everything. That’s why we would like to bless you with the FREE audiobook or PDF of our book, Why Wait To Be Happy so you can defeat Satan’s lies with God’s amazing truths. Click the button below to get started today!