Jesus had taught the disciples about love, obedience, and joy. Then Jesus taught them how to prepare for persecution. Even though Jesus had told the disciples that the Romans would kill Him, they didn’t understand. Jesus knew that His time was short and wanted to warn the disciples about the difficulties that lay ahead. He …
Jesus wanted His disciples to persevere in persecution. He also sent them with authority in the Kingdom of God. Luke 10: 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust …
The unexpected blessings of persecution are a gift from the Lord to His faithful children. In a world that constantly pursues comfort, acceptance, and ease, the notion of persecution sends shivers down our spines. Our natural inclination is to avoid conflict, to seek harmony, and to steer clear of anything that might bring us ridicule …
The politics of persecution gives insight into the story of an angel releasing Peter from prison. Herod Agrippa I was the ruler who arrested Peter after killing the Apostle James. Acts 12:1 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with …
Persecution is the seed of revival and has happened throughout history. The early church was just in its infancy when a great persecution broke out. Acts 8:1A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and …
Persecution of the church began when the first worshipers gathered and will continue until Jesus comes again. When you feel the sting of persecution for the first time, you may feel like a swarm of bees has attacked you. You wonder why this is happening, especially when doing God’s work. The good news is that …
Praising God during persecution is difficult, but we can with the Lord’s help. Praise is like turning on a light in a dark room. Have you ever noticed that praising God changes the spiritual atmosphere? Instead of complaining when your day isn’t going well, praise God and see how that can change things. As I …
Intercession in our last hour may not be on our hearts until the Holy Spirit prompts us. I remember an older lady in our church who, in the latter part of her life, could not get out due to health reasons. Because of this, she transitioned into being a full-time prayer warrior. Her prayers brought …
Does the Lord give us insight into the heavenly realm as we near our death? My mother told me that her father could see two angelic beings by his bed during the last days of his life. He described them as two strong young men as the heavenly realm seemed superimposed on the earthly realm. …
Have you ever had a time when you were stubborn instead of yielding to the Lord? Sometimes, it is hard to let go of what we are doing, especially when someone points out we are headed in the wrong direction. We know we are wrong in our hearts, but we just keep going anyway because …