Devotional Blog Saturday, December 31

Devotional Blog Saturday, December 31

Daily Devotional for Saturday, December 31

Positive Effects of Persecution

“The world was made partly that there may be prayer; partly that our prayers. . .might be answered.”—C.S. Lewis
When persecution comes, it drives Christians to their knees. As Christians, we follow the narrative of New Testament churches, we find many persecutions have come against Christians since the time of Christ. One common thread through each of these seasons of persecution is prayer. Those Christians enduring hardships fall to their knees seeking God’s help to endure. Other Christians follow suit when they hear of the hardships faced by their brothers and sisters in Christ.
As Paul was faced with certain death, he testified that he could not trust in his own ability but could only trust in God who has power over death. When Christians no longer depend on their own ability and wholly depend upon God, great things begin to happen for the cause of Christ. Persecution helps refine the believers’ focus to live only for the purpose of honoring Christ in everything. Instead of casually meandering through life with ease, hardships can cause Christians to intensify their efforts to live for Christ.
While Satan may use persecutions to weaken Christianity’s influence in the world, through prayer, God takes our hardships and empowers us to live for His glory no matter our circumstances. As Christians, we do not shrink in fear when Satan arises. We kneel in prayer to the Almighty Creator of the universe and rise in His power to overcome the adversary.

REFLECTION: Satan intends persecution to weaken the Christian’s faith. Yet, when believers depend wholly on God through persecution, they are empowered to boldly proclaim the gospel through their hardships.

Steven Ridings