PERSECUTIONS AND TRIBULATIONS FOR TRUSTING HIM
"AND YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL FOR MY NAME'S SAKE [because of your allegiance to Me]. BUT HE WHO ENDURES TO THE END SHALL BE SAVED."
Mark 13:13 (NKJV)
If you actually wanted to walk with God, and be practical about your faith, you will have many who hate you.
If you are practical about your faith, and your allegiance to Christ is all-consuming, that would make your way of life obnoxious and contrary to the people of the world—even to some carnal believers.
Your loyalty to God would be tested, He would allow people to be against you.
If you are afraid of sufferings and persecutions, you might not be Jesus' true disciple.
The choice to follow Christ Jesus will cost you something: "THEN HE SAID TO THEM ALL, “IF ANYONE DESIRES TO COME AFTER ME, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF [herself], AND TAKE UP HIS [her] CROSS DAILY, AND FOLLOW ME. FOR WHOEVER DESIRES TO SAVE HIS [her] LIFE WILL LOSE IT, BUT WHOEVER LOSES HIS [her] LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL SAVE IT" (Luke 9:23,24).
Those who endures to the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13).
• There is this aspect of endurance that is needed in practicing the Christian faith:
11 THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING: FOR IF WE DIED WITH HIM, WE SHALL ALSO LIVE WITH HIM. 12 IF WE ENDURE, WE SHALL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM. IF WE DENY HIM, HE ALSO WILL DENY US. 13 IF WE ARE FAITHLESS, HE REMAINS FAITHFUL; HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF" (2 Timothy 2:11-13 NKJV).
• You would need to sacrifice some things to be whatever God wanted you to be in Him.
• If you are scared of tribulations and afflictions as said earlier, you might not be able to live a complete consecrated Christian life.
Problems come in different forms or ways to shape each individual believer according to God's plans and purposes for their lives. Thus, devil may be permitted to challenge you, based on whatever God has purposed to do with or through your life—God's agenda for your life (Job 1:6-12).
Money is one thing while understanding of God is another thing.
• To understand God, His power and how He operates, you might be allowed to face challenges.
• You may not know the greatness of God and His power If you have not encountered challenges—if you have not been confronted or faced by one predicament or the other.
• Challenges or problems that come on a believer's way are meant to give God the opportunity to demonstrate His power, announce His greatness, and glorify His name.
In other words, the problems and challenges are allowed that God might showcase His power and greatness in the life of an individual.
Know that when a problem in your life is solved, the world around you will know the greatness of your God.
Some believers would not want any difficulty at all, that things should be going on smoothly in their lives without any hitch—yet they wanted God to be glorified.
If you are saying God should be glorified in your life, it means a need or difficulty would be arisen that would give Him the opportunity to demonstrate His power—for Him to be glorified in such a situation.
Believers are supposed to be the light of the world, and the light shine brighter in the darkness, the thicker the darkness, the brighter the light (Matthew 5:14).
Believers are to shine brighter in midst of darkness—tribulations and persecutions (Isaiah 60:1-3).
You should also know that you would be persecuted for the truth you know which you wanted to practice. If you knew the truth and wanted to practice it, you would face persecutions and tribulations: "YES, AND ALL WHO DESIRE TO LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION" (2 Timothy 3:12).
The point being made is that God would proof your heart with persecutions and tribulations.
• Are you faithful in your walk with God?
• Are you not compromising your stand because of the particular need in your life?
• As a single sister, Are you not fooling around, sleeping with men and making yourself cheap, because you are desperate in getting married?
• Are you not telling lies, faking it, to make things work for you, instead of trusting God?
• If you are guilty of any of the questions mentioned above, repent and amend your ways, and allow God to take His rightful place in your life.
3 THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE SHAKEN BY THESE AFFLICTIONS; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.
4 FOR, IN FACT, WE TOLD YOU BEFORE WHEN WE WERE WITH YOU THAT WE WOULD SUFFER TRIBULATION, just as it happened, and you know."
1 Thessalonians 3:3,4 (NKJV)
"STRENGTHENING THE SOULS OF THE DISCIPLES, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “WE MUST THROUGH MANY TRIBULATIONS ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
Acts 14:22 (NKJV)
You will not fail in Jesus' name. Peace!