And ye shall be betrayed both by parents,
and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends;
and some of you shall they cause to be put to
death. And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name’s sake. But there shall not an hair
of your head perish. In your patience possess
ye your souls (Luke 21:16–19). Always
remember that tribulation worketh patience
(Romans 5:3); and without it, you will never
overcome.
Divine Protection
Before Jesus ascended back to Heaven, He
told of the signs that would follow true believers.
And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues the
tongue of the Holy Ghost; They shall take
up serpents That does not refer to deliberate
snake handlers of today.; and if they drink
any deadly thing accidentally or by force,
it shall not hurt them; They shall lay hands
on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark
16:17,18).
Never be dismayed because of the way things
look in the natural; the Lord will always stand
with you. Before Paul gave his life on Nero’s
chopping block, he wrote, The Lord stood
with me, and strengthened me; that by me
the preaching might be fully known, and
that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was
delivered out of the mouth of the lion the
devil. And the Lord shall deliver me from
every evil work, and will preserve me unto
his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever
and ever. Amen (II Timothy 4:17,18).
Paul paid a great price to preach the
Gospel, but he never compromised;
and God took care of him. Then
spake the Lord to Paul in the
night by a vision, Be not afraid,
but speak, and hold not thy
peace: For I am with thee, and
no man shall set on thee to
hurt thee…And he continued
there a year and six months,
teaching the word of God
among them (Acts 18:9–11).
Be not dismayed when
can be against us (Romans 8:31)? He has all
power in Heaven and on Earth, and nothing is
impossible for Him. Behold, I am the LORD,
the God of all flesh: is there anything too
hard for me (Jeremiah 32:27)?
When you dwell on the promises of God,
they will destroy anything the devil tries to
bring against you. Some may have to die for
the cause of Christ in this last hour, but Paul
actually said that would be a blessing to him.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is
gain (Philippians 1:21). Now, don’t think you
are going to leave all God’s work behind and
slip off to Glory. God needs all the dedicated
workers He can get in this final hour.
God Makes Testimonies
God is our strength and our Redeemer. Take
note of what He told Joshua when he agreed to
take on the mighty task of leading the Israelites.
There shall not any man be able to stand
before thee all the days of thy life: as I was
with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not
fail thee, nor forsake thee (Joshua 1:5).
Jesus told the disciples, But before all these,
they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute
you, delivering you up to the synagogues,
and into prisons, being brought before kings
and rulers for my name’s sake (Luke 21:12).
Whatever comes your way, Jesus said, It shall
turn to you for a testimony (Luke 21:13).
The three Hebrew boys’ trial turned into a testimony,
and so did Daniel’s; so whatever God
allows you to go through will turn to a testimony
as well if you face it God’s way.
Jesus went on to say, Settle it therefore
in your hearts, not to meditate
before what ye shall answer.
For I will give you a mouth
and wisdom, which all your
adversaries shall not be able
to gainsay nor resist (Luke
21:14,15). When you are
being persecuted, God will
anoint your tongue to use
the wisdom He gives you.
Some of your worst
adversaries may be your
own family members.
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