Photo: © Charlotte Leaper - Dreamstime.com

Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12 MKJV)

One method of attack the enemy uses to manipulate the thoughts and enslave the emotions comes in the form of creating false guilt and playing the sympathy card. In using this tactic, he tries to persuade God’s children to believe they’ve done something wrong by taking a strong stand against the wicked deeds of those who are working under evil influences. He will even employ people who profess to be Christians to make petty threats and false accusations against them, all in the name of Jesus, of course. Thus, He seeks to deceive them into believing their behavior is not approved by God, when, in fact, it is in agreement with the Scriptures.

The purpose behind all of this is twofold, in that he seeks to get those who are being faithful to God to flee from carrying out their duty to admonish those who are in need of correction, while at the same time keeping those who aren’t being faithful to God in the dark. Hence killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Don’t fall into this snare! Rather, continue to call sin by its rightful name; make no apologies for doing what God has called you to do. We aren’t here to make people feel good; we’re here to enjoy God’s presence. And no person, no matter how important, should be allowed to stand in the way of keeping us from doing that. Satan is a liar, and he knows his time is short. Don’t let this foe cause you to cower in a corner, but stand tall for Jesus. Fear not! Greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world.

Indeed, the enemy will try to play with your emotions, and use people who are close to you to beat you up with your past. But he will never be able to pluck you out of Jesus’ hand. No matter what happens, don’t let anyone manipulate you into changing the role you’ve been called to fulfill in service to Jesus. Satan will try to use your past failures as a means to crush your spirit. If he sends people into your life to hurt you in this way, or causes those who are close to you to turn against you, don’t retaliate; instead, cast your cares on Jesus.

Stand firm in Christ! Never let Satan or those who are under his power put your light out. And don’t play by their rules of hate and vengeance. Instead, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 MKJV). There’s no glory in fighting fire with fire, but great honor will be given to those who endure to the end. Therefore, don’t give up!

Post by Chris Esty

+Chris Esty is an Inspirational Writer, Photographer, and the Founder of The Bible Post ministry. Listen to his testimony Here