Expect Opposition

A story is told of the British preacher John Wesley, who was riding along on his horse when he realized that several days had gone by, and he hadn’t suffered any persecution. For three days, not a brick or an egg had been thrown in his direction, which apparently was a common practice when Wesley would get up to preach. So he got off his horse and cried out, “Could it be that I have sinned, and I am backslidden?” Then he got down on his knees and asked God to show him if there was anything wrong in his life spiritually.

Meanwhile, a man was watching and listening to all of this. He thought, “That preacher is crazy. I will show him.” He picked up a brick and threw it at Wesley, just missing his head. But when Wesley saw the brick, he jumped up and said joyfully, “Thank God, everything is okay! I still have His presence.”

The devil will oppose us outwardly and try to stop us through persecution. But there is another way he will attack, and it is far more subtle. He will whisper in our ear, “You are so powerful. You’re a man [or woman] of God. When you speak, your words resonate. You are so wonderful. You are so great.”

The devil knows that pride goes before a fall and that more people probably have been brought down by pride than by any other sin. He knows all about pride because it’s the very thing that brought him down as well.

The Bible tells us, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Are you living a godly life? Then get ready, because persecution will come your way as a follower of Jesus Christ.